


Odds Of Even

by lokidiabolus



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: AU, Boss/Employee Relationship, CEO!Harry, Hartwin, M/M, Sassy Harry, Slow Burn, initial dislike, personal assistant!Eggsy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-09 12:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 78,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4349204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokidiabolus/pseuds/lokidiabolus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eggsy always hated snobs. He saw a guy in a suit and it was like a neon light pointing at him with a label of "a douche". His priorities jumble a little when he crosses paths with a certain suit-wearing gentleman hogging the counter in a bank while Eggsy is really in a hurry for a job interview. A job interview in Harry Hart's company, The Kingsman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jobless

**Author's Note:**

  * For [somebodyloving](https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodyloving/gifts), [Reckless_Serenade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reckless_Serenade/gifts).



> Banner is by an amazing crackprince from Tumblr <3

 

Eggsy hated snobs. There was no way around that – he saw a guy in a suit, and a knife was opening in his pocket, ready to stab. There was no age difference in there, a high class top suit that fitted perfectly and probably cost more than Eggsy was ever able to earn in a year, was the first indication the person wearing it equalled a douche ready to deliver an unpleasant one liner including an insult of the other’s clothes, family or intelligence.

Rich guys working in big, successful companies were basically the best example of how money could make a person different – slice their brains in half and butter up the remaining hemisphere, making it functional only at the sound of money whispering sweet nothings. He intentionally thought mainly of _guys_ , because women usually knew what they wanted, and if they decided to be cold blooded and bitchy, it was just because they wanted to get men on their knees. Dangerous, Eggsy admitted, and no less bad than any other man with a tie, but he still took it lighter seeing a pretty lady in high heels and a business suit than a dickhead in Ferrari.

The main thing his outrage surfaced once more was an insufferable prick in a bank, hogging the counter with the lady behind it, flirting with the poor soul like he wasn’t twice her fucking age, and Eggsy was painfully running out of time for his job interview. But he couldn’t leave without dealing with the bank first, which proved impossible as far as this suit-brain wouldn’t move out – and the patience was running thin. He was wiggling his skinny butt there for twenty minutes already and Eggsy had an urge to go and kick him, even though he would risk stabbing himself by the stick in that guy’s arse.

“Excuse me,” he stepped forward, past the private line, and tapped on the man’s shoulder boldly, immediately making him focus on Eggsy with surprised expression in his brown eyes. He was taller than Eggsy, and kind of lanky, but with broad shoulders and a strong looking posture. But he was old, for fuck’s sake, the girl behind the counter was Eggsy’s age, what was he trying to accomplish? Play a sugar daddy?

_Well, definitely not wanting to play chess._

“Sorry, I’m kinda in a hurry, if you _please_ speed it up a little, that would be great,” he gritted through his teeth and had to admire himself for keeping it cultivated, even though his voice and expression must have said it all. But at least he hadn’t called him an arse right from the start, so he considered it a success.

The man stepped away from the counter with a bewildered look on his face, and then it changed into a curious one, looking over the boy like he was trying to place him into one of his pre-made columns. Eggsy was sure he just got a nice, fitting label, something like _pleb_ or _ignorant_.

“By all means,” the man gestured towards the lady behind the glass, all languid movements, and Eggsy could hear the hidden insult in there somewhere. “Don’t let _my business_ here keep you.”

“Making googly eyes is definitely somebody else’s department, not the bank’s,” Eggsy uttered, handing the girl his ID, and she quickly took it and tried to look very busy on the PC, judging from her erratic movements over the keyboard. 

“That’s a new one then,” the man crossed his arms on his chest, apparently not keen on leaving the spot next to the blond, and Eggsy had to take a deep breath to keep himself from kicking his shin.

“You learn something new every day, eh?” he grumbled, bending down the sign the paper the girl handed him back, and heard how the businessman barked out a laugh. “There, done. You can get back to your wooing now.”

“How thoughtful of you.”

Eggsy didn’t even look back after the voice, his hands were already balling into fists, threatening to punch the idiot right into his face. He was happy he managed to leave the building without swinging one at him, although he considered going back and really hit him when he realized he didn’t have time to pick the clothes from the cleaners without being terribly late.

 _Fuck my life_.

***

„Where is Saville?“

Eggsy glanced towards the door of an office he was standing at and swung on his feet nervously. It was about the third time he heard that – there were five people looking for that person right now. He could see them running around, asking for him, but the frequency the questions were coming through got shorter and shorter, and with each repetition the tone grew more and more impatient, on board of angry.

“I can easily tell you where he _isn’t_ ,” another voice responded, this time a female one, and Eggsy realized he heard it for the first time during the wait in this hallway. He was slowly starting to wonder if he even got to the right floor – this shouldn’t take so long, should it? But the table said 5th and this was the one, he double checked when he arrived, even asked at the reception. But since it held about twenty offices, he could never be completely sure he chose the right one, even though it said Human Resources Director on it. And he needed that person… right?

“I swear I’ll fire his sorry ass for this,” the first voice with a thick, Scottish accent said coldly and a chuckle followed.

“We can’t possibly make them wait much longer, Merlin,” the female retorted and there was rustling of papers and screeching of a chair against the flooring. Eggsy raised an eyebrow and wondered if they also had _Arthur_ in there, so the happy duo would be complete. If this place was named Camelot, he must have definitely missed the memo.

“Let me just make a call first,” footsteps retreated a bit as if the offended bearer of the first voice crossed the whole room and Eggsy tried to look like he wasn’t listening at all when a group of men in suits passed him while talking loudly about littering.

He had to admit he was getting restless there, his legs were turning into stones and he felt the idleness getting to him almost painfully. He was aware people were eying him suspiciously the longer he stood there, and he had to admit they had a reason – but that was _all_ that suit-brain’s fault. He had relatively normal clothes ready in the cleaners, but since there was no time left after he was done in a bank, he had to come in his not very presentable attire – jeans, hoodie and sneakers, and he could tell it was like a punch in the face for all those suited people passing him.

 _Just my luck_ , he thought while sighing, looking around in a crippling boredom. He hated those companies with passion, and yet there he was for a job interview so he could see all those bored faces every day – what was wrong with him?

 _Probably the lack of money_ , the small voice told him bitterly.

This concrete place was a huge corporation called _The Kingsman_ , and if there was even more snobbish name, it would involve words like an emperor or eternity. There were several self-running departments, numerous buildings over the city, not to mention several states, and Eggsy wasn’t bold enough to even guess how many people could work here.

Beside of him being not so presentable he also arrived a little late, and every minute passing with him just standing there while nothing happened was making him even more nervous. If he could get his hands on that guy from the bank again, he would definitely smack him over his head at least. The fact he was ought to go back home to say he blew the opportunity before it even presented itself was making him giddy already – not just from his mom, but hearing all the shite from Dean as well.

_Good for nothing, parasite._

The problem was that he had been already sitting on his haunches here for about twenty minutes already, not daring enough to actually knock on the door while all he saw so far were people running in and out of there, asking for _Seville_ while looking terribly distressed, and heard the Scottish man barking at them like an angry dog. The vibe he got from it was telling him if he tried to interfere, he would get his head bitten off, even though his own interview should have started about half an hour ago, or even more. There was a high chance he got called already, he knew, but he stubbornly stayed anyway, with a little dying hope inside.

The door opened abruptly few minutes later with fierceness that made Eggsy jump a little, and a bald, glasses-wearing man appeared in between them. His dark eyes were piercing and little unhappy and Eggsy suddenly felt ridiculously small in comparison.

Well, might have been also because he _was_ rather short in comparison.

“Great, you are already here!” the man’s eyes lit up, even though the worry stayed at the edges of his mouth, and Eggsy blinked when he got patted on a shoulder and then offered an open palm in a greeting, that he basically forgot the phrase that he had been waiting here for about half an hour already.

“Welcome aboard,” the bald man shot him a strange, stiffly looking smile and Eggsy couldn’t get rid of a feeling he was being critically observed to the tiniest detail – he didn’t blame him, he definitely didn’t look like the best office material right now. “They were faster than I thought. Mister…?”

“Unwin,” Eggsy stammered out like in a haze. “Gary Unwin. Sir.”

“I see,” the man hummed, looking him over once more, probably wondering if he should just kick him out, but then apparently changed his mind and pulled Eggsy inside of the room where another person waited – a brown haired lass with big, pretty eyes and welcoming smile. It seemed like a learned pose though, polite and same for everyone. She was in a grey, nicely fitting business suit with skirt reaching her knees and heels not that high to kill a man – or herself on that matter – and her hair were neatly tied back, making her look like from a commercial.

“Mister Unwin,” his Scottish companion, probably Merlin judging from the lack of any other men in the room, nodded towards her, and Eggsy focused back at him, a little confused about the proceedings. This wasn’t really a standard job interview, was it? “Let me introduce you to Roxanne Morton, our Director of Customer Services. She’ll take you to the meeting now and explain everything on the way.”

 _What_?

“Nice to meet you,” she smiled at him and squeezed his hand he managed to extend like in a haze, and then gestured towards the door. “Shall we?”

 _Merlin_ handed him a clipboard with a neatly looking chart and Miss Morton left the room in expectation Eggsy would follow – he didn’t really know why he did, but his vocal chords probably hadn’t been working, since he kept his mouth shut and walked after her like a puppy.

 “You’ll just take notes. You can ignore the rest of the people there, you’re there with Mister Hart only. All he needs you to do is to catch all the dates and numbers, the meetings, if they are going to propose any,” she started all serious and her pace was hasty he almost wanted to ask how long it took her to learn walk so fast in those heels. “Get the vital points for the meeting. Try not to look like you don’t have a clue when they ask you about something, and they will, because they are annoying.”

It wasn’t very calming, Eggsy thought. He definitely hadn’t come here to play a secretary to somebody, no matter what they thought. He knew shite about how those people even functioned, trailing behind their masters with notebooks and knew every little schedule detail about their lives. It felt like a chore.

“Why didn’t they send Hesketh?” she inquired like he knew who the hell was that guy, and it made him absolutely stupefied.

“I have no idea?” he echoed and Morton shrugged and finally stopped at the lift, pressing the button impatiently. She seemed even more nervous than he felt and that was enough said. Who the hell was Hart then? A beast?

“Doesn’t matter,” she concluded with a sigh, but he didn’t really believe her. There was something in her tense posture he didn’t like, but he still nodded though. “I don’t think Hart likes him anyway.”

She spared him a side glance and cleared her throat, as if she wasn’t sure how to form proper words and he didn’t expect anything flattering out of that.

“Your clothes?” she asked shortly and Eggsy had to bite his tongue to stop himself from getting vulgar again about that idiot in the bank. Of course the first impression people working in here must have got included unflattering _pizza delivery guy_ or _a thug ready to shoot_ , and that all thanks to one annoying person at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Sorry, didn’t make it to the cleaners,” he mumbled, rummaging the clipboard unhappily, trying to keep the rage inside. “But the meeting-,”

“No need to worry,” she finally gave him an honest smile and the lift dinged and doors opened. She entered immediately and pressed 8th floor, and Eggsy had a feeling he might have suddenly started to get claustrophobic. He came here for an interview! Why was he going for a meeting?

“Mr. Hart is a nice person,” she assured him about somebody he had no clue who it could be, but apparently _nice_ must have equal _scary_ , since she behaved like she was afraid a little. “Not to mention the meeting is with people he doesn’t consider important enough to be too serious about, but he needs an assistant there.”

_An assistant? I didn’t come here to be an assistant to some snobbish arse!_

The lift jerked unpleasantly for being it in such an expensive building, and the door opened once more, revealing long, clinically white hallway that seemed like it could lead to an afterlife if you let it.

“Do you have any questions?” she asked on a move again and Eggsy trailed behind her in a slower pace, grudgingly almost. This was bonkers – he couldn’t go there without any knowledge of this place. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth, unable to protest or ask anything stupid, and his companion apparently took it like there was nothing else to say, so they spent the rest of the walk in silence, until she finally stopped in front of the door.

“Okay, take a deep breath and don’t worry about them, just listen and write down things that seems important and everything is going to be alright,” she patted his arm in consolation, like she didn’t know she was sending him to his certain death, and finally knocked on the door.

Eggsy thought nothing could get any worse when the door opened and he saw that there sat fifteen of the worst examples of humanity, all in Armani or whatever brand of suits they had, eying him like he was there to deliver a death sentence. Well, that was until his eyes settled on the only standing person at the table, leaning over the desk in the most leisure display of relaxation. At that point Eggsy wanted to throw the clipboard at him and stomp out of the room with loud fuming, especially when that prick from a bank was now grinning at him like he just swallowed a canary and Eggsy was the next course.

_My fucking luck!_

“Mister Unwin,” that arse greeted him with a dangerous cheerfulness in his tone and Eggsy gritted his teeth – he was pretty sure he heard the clipboard crack a little under the pressure. “How _thoughtful_ of you to join us.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware you are already acquainted with Mr. Hart,” Morton piped and it apparently made her calmer, since the tension from her shoulders dropped gradually. Eggsy didn’t know _how_ could she be so relaxed around this fiend, but who was he to judge. “I’ll leave you to it then. Have a nice day, gentlemen.”

“Thank you, Roxy,” the biggest asshat answered her with a flirty smile, goddamn, was he for real? And then turned his attention back to the blond that stood at the door like he ingrown to the floor. “How about you sit down, _Gary_?”

Eggsy meant to profusely ignore him, seeing the only free spot was next to the man’s right, but the searching eyes of all those suited creeps made him to actually move towards him and slid down onto the chair like it physically pained him.

How he knew his name was beyond him, for real, but nothing could surprise him in this place anymore. He came here for a simple delivery job and now he was sitting on a meeting with all those old geezers and sincerely hoped it was a prank show. Because if not… he was immensely screwed.

He put the clipboard on the table with an apparent disgust and then a pen appeared in his field of vision, black and all fancy, and he snatched it like a bone for a dog, earning a low chuckle for it.

_Fuck my life for real._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3 Thank you ^^


	2. A Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You left this in the bank,” he showed him the card and had to hold himself from laughing when the boy’s eyes widened comically, like Harry just held something that could destroy the world. “I meant to have it delivered back to you, but since this opportunity presented itself-,”  
> “You stole my ID?” Unwin interrupted him with a disbelieving voice and Harry let out a sigh.  
> “No,” he refused the accusation. “You forgot your ID in the bank.”  
> “Where you stole it,” the blond shot back, stomping towards him with a single intent, but Harry was faster and snatched the card away from him, making the boy stumble.

“I thought you said there was nothing that would need any drastic measures.”

“Things change of course. It’s vital that we adapt to them.”

“So the 28th of July is cancelled?”

Harry watched the blond boy scribbling down the date and almost missed the question that was asked while he was looking over all the little drawings _Gary_ decorated the page with. In the midst of unintelligible rubbish there were also somewhat the right dates and words Harry had a hard time to read properly. His handwriting was disastrous.

“The 28th stands,” Harry spoke up and all the attention focused back at him. He didn’t really mean to be involved in their bickering, but remaining quiet all the time would only lead to the later grumbling which King could use against him in the next Directive’s Board meeting. He didn’t have time, nor the nerves to listen to that.

He noted how the boy jerked a little at his voice and Harry thought it served him right since he was zoning out most of the time anyway. He saw him scribbling down _yes_ at the date and had to stop himself from smirking.

How efficiently useless this person was. He didn’t have a clue what he was doing and Harry felt a strange wave of satisfaction for it. Brats like this boy were always something to behold, and the scene in a bank was a solid proof. Interrupting him in a middle of a transaction was bold enough, but actually marking him as a playboy that came only to flirt was beyond words. The fact this coincidence brought him _here_ of all places was almost unreal, but Harry had to admit it played perfectly into his cards. He hadn’t even been sure yet what he would do with the ID the blond forgot in the bank, but this was _perfect_. Just the fact he knew his name was a first step to victory.

“The conclusion had been reached and there is no need to change anything,” he continued towards the rest of the present people, returning to the matter at hand. “The fusion is going to happen with or without you, if we want to prevent their bankruptcy. Not to mention Richmond Valentine is not one of the most patient people in the world, therefore I’m sure fast and smooth proceedings would be a favour not just to him, but to us as well.”

“Yes, but his pressuring is not exactly professional either. Not to mention the 28th is ridiculously early,” the Finance Manager opposed him and Harry gave him a hard, cold stare. There was always something about this he man didn’t like – hell, all of them were still complaining about everything, even though it was only a colour in a toilet cabin or what they would eat for lunch.

The picture of spending time with them _outside_ of the work was genuinely terrifying.

“Is there something else you want to tell us, Ian?” he dared him and saw by the corner of his eye how his new _assistant_ stopped doodling and took an interest in the proceedings. Naturally, everyone had a sense of drama. The rest of the men fidgeted in their chairs and Harry raised an eyebrow when Ian remained stubbornly silent.

“Good,” he concluded and glanced back at young Unwin who was now smirking slightly. It was the best time to wipe it off his face as well. “It’s settled then. _Gary_ , if you can, give the gentlemen quick summary of today’s meeting.”

An apparent stupor came over the blond as if he froze all over, and Harry could see how everyone stared at him even harder, definitely judging not just him, but even Harry. But this was part of the plan and Harry seriously didn’t mind what those old farts thought of him – or Unwin on that matter. It wasn’t like he meant to keep the boy here longer than necessary; this was a lesson after all.

“Right,” Unwin cleared his throat and finally put the pen Harry gave him down. It was apparent he struggled through it and Harry stepped a little closer, to an intimidating distance, which made the boy fidget even more.

What was he even doing here? He knew Merlin had several job interviews to commence today, but did he seriously think coming here clothed like he just robbed a grocery shop would win him something? Except critical eyes and Merlin’s unhappy expression he could kill crowds with.

“The fusion is planned to undergo on 28th of July, this date is firmly set and undebatable,” the blond started and Harry blinked in surprise at the confident tone Unwin adopted. He was pretty sure he had been barking at him in a completely different accent in the bank, the London-working class one that always made Merlin grit his teeth, but now he seemed like a different person that adapted to his environment. It was kind of fascinating, at least Harry thought so, not to mention he _was_ pretty well informed, even though the whole meeting seemed like he hadn’t been listening at all. He watched him giving Ian a serious look like he was challenging him as well, and the apparent surprise on the old man’s face was priceless. “For _everyone_.”

Harry barked out a laugh, unable to hold himself back, and the Finance Manager looked like wanted to start a defenestration soon. Harry almost regretted not being able to record it.

“The issue is going to be further contemplated on the Directives Board meeting on 20th of July, you’ll be informed about the result via the company network,” Unwin continued with a composed attitude until a cough interrupted him.

“The company network?” Martin asked rather confused and it was apparent how Unwin backtracked, the self-confident persona shattering, and Harry tilted his head to the side, wondering how he was going to pick himself up now.

“The e-mail?” the boy tried and Harry shook his head. It was apparent Unwin noticed, but there was a slightly helpless look on his face that made Harry take pity on him, even though he didn’t deserve it a bit.

“You’ll be notified the normal way as always, Martin,” he assured the old man with a nod and there was an evident relief in his wrinkly face. “Mister Unwin is new, he was not aware the DB correspondence is not electronic.”

”Ah,” the blond echoed. “Sorry. The letter then.”

“Thank you for your participation, gentlemen,” Harry concluded with a firm nod and they all started getting up and packing their things. “Mr. Unwin will send you all the important documentation later today.”

He noticed how the blond sent him an unsure glance and Harry nodded in reassurance.

“By e-mail this time,” he explained lightly and it made Unwin calmer, judging from the slowly dropping shoulders how he was letting out the tension. He watched the oldies shuffling outside of the room and noticed how his young companion stayed behind, probably a little expectantly.

“Not bad,” he decided the boy deserved at least some kind of praise for pleasantly surprising him with the performance. “I must admit I’ve been expecting you to fail.”

“Great,” Unwin uttered and yes, there was that accent again, like he slipped back into it without thinking. “Is this some kind of revenge?”

“It might be,” Harry gave out a tiny shrug and finally sat down, taking to hand his own documents and started going through it. “Would be maliciously clever though, don’t you agree, _Gary?_ ”

“How do you know my name?” the blond circled the table and his eyes were dangerously narrowed, like he was threatening him. Harry found it somehow amusing – the more he was watching this person, the more he reminded him of a little Chihuahua trying to look dangerous. He wasn’t excessively tall or wide, Harry would even describe him as _thin_ and maybe also _small_ , at least in comparison, but he had a cute face, and a strange boyish charm.

Harry chuckled and reached to his breast pocket, pulling out his forgotten ID he took from the lady behind the counter in the bank. It was easy, really, when she realized the blond didn’t take it back Harry was fast to remedy that, telling her he would definitely catch up with him, and she easily gave it to him with a naïve trust in her eyes. Would he be a villain, he could have done something really bad with it and make the boy immensely suffer.

“You left this in the bank,” he showed him the card and had to hold himself from laughing when the boy’s eyes widened comically, like Harry just held something that could destroy the world. “I meant to have it delivered back to you, but since this opportunity presented itself-,”

“You stole my ID?” Unwin interrupted him with a disbelieving voice and Harry let out a sigh.

“No,” he refused the accusation. “You forgot your ID in the bank.”

“Where you stole it,” the blond shot back, stomping towards him with a single intent, but Harry was faster and snatched the card away from him, making the boy stumble.

“Where I retrieved it,” he elaborated while he stood up to gain height superiority and it was apparent how Unwin took a step back to recoil. “To deliver it back to you safely.”

“Bollocks,” the young man hissed. “If you were ought to give it back, you’d do it already as the first thing when you saw me.”

“The first thing when I saw you was meant for you to do your job. Handing you the ID was not an option,” Harry opposed calmly, deliberately eying the card just to tease him a little, and it worked, since the blond growled unhappily and circled him again. He was only 22 years old, Harry noticed. What a young pup.

“This is _not_ my job,” Unwin gestured towards the table and the clipboard lying on it, full of his doodles and terrible handwriting. “I haven’t come here for playing a puppet to you, or anyone else.”

“And yet you did very well,” Harry commented appraisingly. “You actually made them speechless. Not to mention pissed off Ian in one go, and that I always appreciate.”

“Are you fucking with me?” the blond leashed out and Harry quirked an eyebrow.

“Not that I’m aware of,” he shrugged, making the boy sputter indignantly, and then presented him the ID for taking. “So what position you came here to achieve then?”

Unwin was fast to take the card like an attacking cobra and Harry watched him quietly for the whole time he was checking the object for any signs of defect or falsification.

“A delivery man or somethin’,” he finally spoke up, hiding the ID to his jacket and sending Harry a death glare. “No one asked me though. And I came late.”

“Undiligent.”

“Because of you!” he snarled at the older man accusingly and Harry barked out a laugh.

“And how did I, pray tell, manage to delay you so?” he asked sweetly just to throw the boy out of balance and it apparently worked, since his younger companion had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

“Your little bank fun,” he pointed at Harry with a frown. “Cost me all the spare time I had to actually get to the cleaners and then here.”

Harry looked him over, the clothes were actually the first thing that stood out when he entered the office, he had to admit, and then tilted his head to the side.

“So you actually didn’t mean to come here dressed like a high school thug?” he inquired with curiosity that surprised him a little, because even that it sounded like a cliché, clothes made a man.

“What do you think, smartass.”

The defiance in the voice was almost physically touchable and Harry found himself amused by that cheeky brat, who, surprisingly, was perfectly capable to adapt in an unknown situation with ease. It was an amazing quality and Harry thought that he actually wouldn’t mind to put up with the bitter attitude of his just to see how else he could surprise him.

“I think you should go to the HR,” he decided and took a blank paper so he could write a message for Merlin on it. “Give this to the Director. I assume he was the one who sent you here.”

“And?” the boy took the paper with doubt in his eyes and Harry offered a small smile.

“And then we will see, Mr. Unwin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Harry's point of view is not such a rollercoaster as Eggsy's is, I must admit. I hope there is a bit of a difference between them, how they think and talk though :)


	3. Call Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Human Resources Director was the same bald man Eggsy talked to the first time in the Kingsman, and how it turned out in the end, his name was really Merlin. No joke, no shite, just Merlin probably looking for his Arthur. And the same guy was staring at him for about a minute when Eggsy came back and handed him the paper Hart gave him, like he was trying to solve him somehow. When apparently nothing came, he put the paper down and made three weird-ass calls that ended with: “You know what, I will call you. Leave me your resume here and I’ll get back to you after I sort out this mess. And Hart. What the hell is that guy even thinking…”

“You didn’t get it,” a disappointed voice greeted him in the doorway and Eggsy had to hold himself by the power of sheer will from rolling his eyes. So much for trust, really.

“Thanks, mum,” he grumbled, kicking off his shoes and managed to make two steps before a little giggling devil ran towards him and he picked the cute blonde girl up with a spin. “Hello, angel, how have you been?”

“Eggsy!” the little girl cackled happily and smacked a loud kiss on his cheek before he could put her down again, where she twirled like a hyperactive kitten.

“So?” Michelle asked him a little impatiently, turning towards him fully from the stove where she was cooking something that smelled a little suspicious, and Eggsy looked around first before he was sure Dean wasn’t present. 

_Probably getting wasted somewhere._

“I don’t know,” he replied after he sat down and Daisy ran to him once more so he could pull her on his lap where she clapped her little hands and started reciting a child’s song. “They’ll call me.”

“But?” she inquired and he could almost feel how she was ready for him to fail. It was disconcerting, but Eggsy knew it was mostly his own fault anyway. He never gave a fuck about his _proper_ life until now, but when he finally found something he would like, she wasn’t happy with it and he had to let it go. He was still secretly bitter about the Marines she went bonkers about, because it was probably the only work he would handle without having any spare energy to create problems afterwards.

“They’ll call me,” he repeated impatiently and handed Daisy an apple she was trying to reach on the table. “I can’t say.”

“You have to have an opinion,” she responded stubbornly. “How did it go, how do you feel about it. Wait…”

She eyed him suspiciously and then let out a long, suffering sigh.

“You went there in these clothes?”

“Ye,” he uttered, earning a groan as a response, and fine, yeah, it was warranted, she had the right. But it wasn’t his fault. “But it wasn’t my fault.”

“Of course it wasn’t,” she snorted sarcastically and turned back to the stove, disappointment dripping from her features like honey, and Eggsy sighed. He didn’t even know if he wanted to explain it to her – all he was going to get included that _excuses_ undertone, and he considered it a waste of energy. There was not much of it left in him anyway, after all those weird situations today.

The Human Resources Director was the same bald man Eggsy talked to the first time in the Kingsman, and how it turned out in the end, his name was really Merlin. No joke, no shite, just Merlin probably looking for his Arthur. And the same guy was staring at him for about a minute when Eggsy came back and handed him the paper Hart gave him, like he was trying to solve him somehow. When apparently nothing came, he put the paper down and made three weird-ass calls that ended with: _“You know what, I will call you. Leave me your resume here and I’ll get back to you after I sort out this mess. And Hart. What the hell is that guy even thinking…”_

“ _You tell me_ ,” Eggsy replied and left the building with hunched back and weird taste in his mouth. Why was he so stupid and didn’t read the paper Hart gave him? Who knew what he had written there, since _Merlin_ acted like it was a hidden threat that could explode any moment. Maybe it was part of the revenge of his. To keep Eggsy in the dark – since it must have been pretty apparent he needed the job, as well as he could easily see Hart was playing with him like a cat with a mouse.

What was that guy even thinking? His _revenge_ was mean and an under belt hit, and even though Eggsy somehow managed to pull the shite out, it still felt somewhat wrong, like a big scheme he was playing a pawn in.

Not to mention his damn ID. There were millions of things that man could have done with it before Eggsy retrieved it – hell, this could even be a fake ID and he would never know. Why would he even take it from the bank? Sending it back properly afterwards – yeah, right. Pompous asshat, who knew what he had been planning.

“You do realize you need a job, right?” Michelle interrupted his thoughts again and Eggsy gritted his teeth. This sentence was haunting him every day, if not from her then from Dean, and it was starting to make him allergic to it. He _knew_. But finding one wasn’t like changing TV channels and Eggsy wanted to smack them with it, but always stopped himself in time and hung his head down in defeat.

He was _trying_.

“You’re not even _trying_ -,” she started critically and it made his blood boil, until Daisy excitedly chimed _“Phone!”_ and Eggsy realized it was his ringtone. Michelle turned back to the stove with _hmph_ and Eggsy fished his phone from the pocket while trying to dodge Daisy’s grabby hands.

The number was unknown and Eggsy picked it up grudgingly.

“Mr. Unwin? This is Roxanne Morton from Kingsman,” came the first thing and Eggsy froze mid-move. “I’m calling about today’s interview.”

“Ye?” he blinked in surprise and Daisy started pulling at his arm to get his attention.

“I’m pleased to inform you that you have been successful and the spot of a personal assistant is yours, if you are still interested,” her professional tone conveyed smoothly and Eggsy felt his throat drying up.

“A personal assistant?” he repeated. “To Hart?”

“Yes, Mr. Hart personally chose you, you’ve apparently made the best impression out of all,” she confirmed it automatically and he wondered how her _apparently_ was actually a personal opinion. He was pretty sure the impression he left on others was mostly _what the hell_ than an actual professionalism.

“Bollocks,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is this some kind of joke? Did he set you up?”

“I… what?” she stammered in confusion. “No, I’ve… this is a formal job offer, Mr. Unwin. No joke. If you need a confirmation, I can try to transfer the call to Mr. Hart’s office, so he can tell you himself.”

“No, thanks,” he grumbled, not keen on hearing the voice for the third time during this day. ”I haven’t even came for that kind of job, so-,“

“Actually, I think talking to Mr. Hart personally would do you good,” she interrupted him suddenly and before he could stop her, there was a loud, obnoxious beep and the phone started dialling, just to get picked up shortly after.

“Hart speaking,” a male’s voice flooded the line easily and Eggsy could hear rustling of papers in the background.

“Oh man,” the blond groaned automatically and there was a chuckle following, since Hart apparently recognized him.

“Mr. Unwin,” he addressed him languidly. “I believe you’re calling about the job?”

“Right, what are you playing at?” Eggsy gave up trying to explain himself and the man on the other side of the line hummed thoughtfully.

“I’m not really playing at anything,” he told him simply. “I have witnessed your skills in action and I think you deserve a chance to prove it wasn’t a coincidence.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“If you think so,” Hart replied calmly. “I’m offering you a very well paid job, Mr. Unwin. I know you need one. If you think you are in a position to refuse it and you are basing it on a farfetched conception of me being merely mischievously vengeful, then feel free to do so, but then I’ve greatly overestimated you.”

Eggsy remained quiet for a moment, contemplating, and the rustling of papers on Hart’s end slowly ceased until there was only silence as well.

“Alright,” Hart spoke up again after a moment, and sighed. “Then good luck, Mr. Unwin. I wish you successful job hunting, but consider being a little more respectful towards people in banks, just in case. That somebody can be your future boss.”

A soft click ended the call abruptly and Eggsy felt like lead lodged itself in his belly, his mind strangely numb and having problems catching up.

He was underqualified for that job. Hell, he never even studied anything similar to that shite, even though his school grades were pretty good, he always preferred more of a physical type of work, even if it meant to run around and punch people for money if he could. Playing somebody’s lackey was for those clever types – types like Roxanne Morton in high heels and pristine appearance. What was Hart even trying to prove, picking him _personally_? It smelled fishy, like there was a catch, a test maybe to teach Eggsy a lesson.

And yet he sounded like he was honest before he hung up, and suddenly Eggsy didn’t know.

“Have you just turned down a job offer?” Michelle’s voice brought him back to reality and he blinked, realizing Daisy was already off his lap and playing in a corner with dolls, and his mom stood in front of him with crossed arms on her chest, staring him down.

“No,” he lied and hid his phone back to the pocket. “I’m going out.”

“Buy sweets for Daisy,” she ordered him sternly. “And don’t think we are done talking.”

Eggsy was pretty sure he was definitely done with everything.

***

Job hunting was never fun, Eggsy could tell. Especially when you didn’t have much to offer and on top of that had stupid standards that stopped you from taking the low quality jobs because there had been pride involved. But the longer he waited, the longer he decided to be picky and search for something a little better, more fun, more challenging, the less support he got from his family and in the end the only person happy to see him was Daisy.

Dean was a jerk, and he was always going to be, even if Eggsy got to be the president of the whole world. But on the other hand – their sympathies were mutual, and they both gave up pretending the opposite, even for the sake of Eggsy’s mother.

And Eggsy’s mum probably gave up hope for him to get _better_ anyway, right after that fiasco with Marines he had to quit or she would throw a tantrum.

He always thought he would be much better on his own – but that life eluded him as far as the job stayed out of his reach, as well as the stabile income that could be used to pay the rent.

A possibility Hart offered him. A challenge of a job he had never done before, where he could prove people that thought of him less, wrong. An offer he turned down because he was too proud to admit Hart meant it seriously and not as a prank, because he was a fucking suit-brain.

Eggsy stopped on the way to the shop and took a deep breath. He wasn’t a coward now, was he? He could take anything people threw at him if he needed to, he could fight. If Hart wanted to get him punished somehow there, maybe he just needed to prove to him that he had the right to set up some standards and step up.

The determination drove him to take his phone again and dial the last number he got called from, his hands trembling slightly at the steady beeping that was answering him back, until there was a click again and a female voice answered him.

“Roxanne Morton, Kingsman Service, what can I do for you?”

“Yeah, hey, Gary Unwin again,” he responded nervously, his throat suddenly dry like a desert, not really sure how to present himself better or convey the problem without stuttering. Hearing her professional tone was a little unnerving.

“Mr. Unwin,” she repeated his name coldly and he took it as a bad sign. “I got told you refused the offer, what else can I do for you?”

“Can you switch the call to Hart for a bit again?” he tried, fidgeting on a spot like a petulant child. She could do that, right? It was better to talk to the guy than to her after all.

“Mr. Hart is on a meeting right now,” she said back. “Should I transfer your call to his _personal assistant_ instead?”

Eggsy felt the lead that lodged inside of him before gaining much more weight it almost dragged him down onto the pavement, and he could barely form a coherent sentence that wouldn’t sound like a dying whale.

“No,” he echoed. “No need after all, I guess.”

“Alright,” she replied shortly. “Is that all?”

“Ye. Thanks,” he piped. “Sorry for bothering ya.”

“Have a nice day, Mr. Unwin.”

He barely noticed she hung up. He fucked up again after all.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> u.u Eggsy, you tit.
> 
> Edit: Thank you for pointing that thing with Eggsy's grades out, TG! ;3 I made an adjustment :)


	4. Proving A Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “King would never agree on it,” another argument and Harry put down the pen as well, already tired as hell to do any actual work.   
> “King doesn’t need to know,” he reminded the HRD sternly. “Merlin, just grant me this one quirk of mind. He was brilliant at the meeting. You should have seen Ian.”  
> “I have seen Ian, it’s enough once a day.”

“Sometimes I think you’re a brick wall,” Merlin fumed, his pen moving against the paper at a frantic pace that Harry thought he heard it crack a little at times. “Stubborn, so damn stubborn, for real. He said no, why are you giving a chase?”

“It’s a sport,” Harry shrugged, signing another document, and the handwriting looked strangely askew. He could barely concentrate today, he seriously needed somebody who would help him with all this. But he just couldn’t stand King’s choices – Hesketh was literally the worst incarnation of arrogant ever, and if he ever knocked on his door again, Harry was going to buy the biggest dog he could find and send it after him. No regrets.

“Have you seen his resume?” Merlin put the pen down, apparently too agitated to be able to fill his charts, and Harry gave him a bold smile.

“No, have you?”

“You’re impossible.”

“So they say,” the older man admitted and Merlin only rolled his eyes. It was a long day, the HRD had about 20 people to interview and they also lost Seville somewhere in a sewers, at least that was what Harry thought. He reminded him of a turtle anyway, _so damn slow_. Harry thought of playing angry, or maybe even disappointed by the loss of this so-called personal assistant, but he couldn’t really bring himself to it.

“I’ve found his application,” the Human Resources Director pointed out, his tone rather sharp. “He wanted to do _delivery_. _Delivery boy_ , Harry, not a personal assistant. He was in the _Marines_!”

“Flashy,” Harry hummed and signed another paper. Was this even his signature anymore? It looked like somebody squished a spider at the line.

“King would never agree on it,” another argument and Harry put down the pen as well, already tired as hell to do any actual work.

“King doesn’t need to know,” he reminded the HRD sternly. “Merlin, just grant me this one quirk of mind. He was brilliant at the meeting. You should have seen Ian.”

“I have seen Ian, it’s enough once a day.”

“Sassy,” Harry chuckled and it finally made Merlin a little less tense. “He has great potential.”

“He came in jeans and a hoodie,” Merlin pointed out seriously. “Where is that potential now?”

“That was my fault, and clothes are the last thing you need to worry about,” the CEO comforted him softly.

“How are his clothes your fault?” Merlin gave him a suspicious glance and Harry could easily tell what he was thinking right now. He just shook his head.

“Well, alright, you want him here,” the Scottish man concluded in defeat, but the sharpness in his voice stayed. “But you’re forgetting he turned you down.”

“Just to call again two hours later,” Harry reminded him pointedly. “He changed his mind.”

“Just to be turned down by you,” Merlin snorted like he heard a joke of the century, and in a way it was actually a little funny. But to Harry it was proving a point – something the young Unwin had to learn the hard way. Good things didn’t come easy and he had a rare opportunity to step out of the shadows and actually seize the chance, just to be too intimidated by the possibility somebody actually could give him a bit more without wanting something excessive in exchange.

He didn’t trust easily, that Harry could see. Not necessarily a bad thing, probably a defence mechanism he adopted during his life to prevent being hurt. It could cause problems though, something Harry was keen on removing if he got a chance.

“Why did Roxy have to tell him you already had an assistant though?” Merlin inquired after a moment, sounding curious, and Harry smirked.

“To teach him a lesson,” he delivered easily. “If he thinks good opportunities are going to wait for him until he makes up his mind, he is solely wrong.”

“You know what, how about Barker?” Merlin suggested with a sigh. “He definitely knows he needs to catch the helping hand when it appears.”

“Just to rip it off whole when he gets a chance,” Harry pointed out coldly. “You sure Roxy is not available?”

“Roxy is definitely not available,” the Scottish man frowned at him. “She worked hard to get this position, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t like to get back to a lower pay check and to play your puppet.”

“On the contrary, I always thought _she_ was controlling _me_ well enough.”

“If it makes you feel better, she wants to find you a good assistant as well,” Merlin picked up his pen again, seemingly calm enough to continue his work. “She still feels indebted somehow to you. Or maybe caring, I don’t know.”

“That’s very kind of her,” Harry nodded with a smile. She was a brilliant assistant, helpful and precise, maybe just a little too clinical and impersonal. She always took her work very seriously, and even though it was a good thing, Harry always preferred a bit of a human touch. Maybe that was why Unwin charmed him so, not afraid to tell Ian off so easily. She would never be rude to managers, or basically any executives, but Unwin was an honest soul untouched by company standards.

“So you lied to him to teach him a lesson and now what?” Merlin got him back on the matter at hand. “You call him it was a joke and he’s hired? That’s your awesome plan?”

“Not really,” the CEO shrugged and pushed the stack of papers away. He couldn’t do any more of this without losing his mind.

“So?”

“He either wants this job,” Harry closed the pen and put it in his breast pocket. “And he will try to get it. Or he doesn’t and admits defeat.”

“You basically told him the spot is already taken,” Merlin opposed. “Who would actually come here to demand to hire them instead of a person who hadn’t refused for the first time?”

“Determined people,” Harry gave him a smile and stood up. His body felt rather heavy and he needed a nice, calming walk, or maybe a run, to get some energy back. Sitting all day was a torture. “He will come.”

“How bossy,” Merlin shook his head and gave him a critical eye. “Seriously. Who died and made you a CEO?”

“King, but he’s unfortunately still alive,” Harry uttered and left his office while Merlin was sputtering behind him. He wasn’t sure if it was anger or laughter.

***

“What’s keeping you here so long?”

The petite brunette turned around with a wary expression until she realized who was talking to her and her pretty face smoothed, lips curling in a smile. They were probably amongst the last one leaving the building – for Harry it was almost normal these days to go home at dark. But he usually hadn’t seen Roxy to stay behind this late, she had a strictly planned schedule for each day – something he found amusing when he learned about it. She even had a diary where everything had been planned hour by hour and when something didn’t go according to it, there was a big red mark next to the offensive event.

“Mr. Hart,” she nodded towards him curtly and took a small hand bag from the reception desk. “I was already leaving to be honest.”

“You must teach Merlin the secret of it,” he winked at her playfully, making her chuckle. “I think he’s sleeping here and trying to convince us he doesn’t.”

“I can’t really do that, he’s married to his work,” she opposed with a laugh. “Divorce papers are such a hassle.”

“Oh definitely,” he agreed with her immediately, since yes, Merlin was basically _living_ here, and even though he had been the HRD, he did bit of everything. Harry though he would make a great CEO instead of him, but when he suggested it in a joke, Merlin looked like the idea made him physically sick for how much he paled.

“Need a lift somewhere?” he offered lightly, seeing her in those high heels she always hated, but wore them anyway. She usually looked very sophisticated, even though rarely wore anything colourful. It was mostly grey, brown or black that ruled her clothes, and he always wondered if it was a preference or if she felt like she shouldn’t be too visible.

“Not really,” she shrugged and then smirked when she noticed him eying her shoes. “Appearances, you know how it goes here.”

“Very much so.”

Dress code was ruling Kingsman with an iron fist and the elegance was priority. High heels weren’t a must, but a lady seen in those always made men’s day a bit brighter, Harry wouldn’t lie. Just the pain must have been rather unfortunate.

“Guess the young man didn’t want to keep it up?” she piped and Harry admitted she was as sharp as ever.

“Might have been the case,” he concluded thoughtfully. “But he called back, didn’t he?”

“Wanted to talk to you,” she agreed with a sigh. Asking her about telling him this blatant lie wasn’t accepted very happily, but in the end she always did her job the best. “Don’t you think it was a bit cruel to lie to him about the assistant though?”

“Did he cry?” he raised an eyebrow and she shook her head, eying him critically.

“Then it wasn’t.”

“Sometimes I’d like to see how you think,” she shook her head like she gave up trying. “After all this time I still haven’t figured you out.”

“My dear, if a gentleman is easy to predict in everything, then he’s doing a very poor job,” he informed her with a smile and it made the girl look exasperatedly fond when she was leaving, her high heels clicking rhythmically away.

***

Harry usually didn’t believe in destiny, things that happened and which came to other’s favour, or on the other hand to the opposite, were just that – coincidences. Maybe even patterns. But definitely not some mightier power making two or more beings collide together in order to reach a higher goal.

Yet it was interesting to re-think that theory when he stopped in a coffee shop in the morning, chatting with a girl behind the counter while a barista made him his order, and there was an exasperated sigh behind him that sounded far too familiar.

“Seriously? You are fucking everywhere.”

Harry didn’t really need to turn around to know who it was, but it gave him some sort of satisfaction when he could be yet again a reason this certain young man could show how sharp he could get.

“Mr. Unwin,” he addressed him with a small nod, and the blond stepped to the counter to give him a weird look. He was all in black, a little more elegant, Harry would say, although it wasn’t a suit or something Kingsman would consider worthy of its dress code. Yet it definitely gave him a slightly different look, more mature.

“Shouldn’t it be somebody else getting you coffee? I thought you guys have people even for wiping your asses,” he uttered and Harry had to hold himself back from smirking. Such a clear notion of _where is your assistant_ almost made him want to feel sorry for the boy.

“Only on weekends,” Harry gestured vaguely. “The wipers are an expensive fun.”

“Forget I asked,” Unwin grumbled. “Are you done? I’m in a hurry.”

“Aren’t you always,” the older man sighed and the girl behind the counter handed him his cup with a small smile. “Thank you, sunshine.”

“Ugh.”

Harry glanced at Unwin with a raised eyebrow when he heard him groan and didn’t even need to ask why. But for how much in _hurry_ he had been, he spent plenty of time just standing there, trying not to glare too much.

“Aren’t you in a hurry?” he teased him while sipping his drink and Unwin _hmphed_ and asked for a black coffee. The barista immediately started working and the blond seemed like he was thinking very hard what to say – or maybe how to stay quiet long enough.

“Well, now I see why you are still so bitter,” Harry commented his choice of drink, not keen on stepping away. He would expect something sweeter from the boy. “Isn’t black coffee an adult drink?”

“Very funny,” the blond muttered almost under his breath and then grew quiet again, almost like he was holding himself back by the power of his sheer will. Harry knew he could play it nice and told him about the job, ask him again, but since he wanted to prove a point and get him learn a thing or two, he remained silent and watchful, daring the blond to do the first step.

_If you want something, you should be able to take it. Or do everything you can for it, so there won’t be any regrets afterwards._

“If I’d said yes yesterday,” the boy suddenly spoke, not really looking at Harry or anyone in particular, and his fingers tapped against the counter impatiently. His head was down, like he wasn’t sure he could ask, or maybe was ashamed for it, and Harry listened carefully. “You’d seriously hire me?”

“Yes,” Harry answered honestly. “It was a serious offer.”

“Why?”

“Has your self-confidence always been this low?” the older man frowned a little – he didn’t expect this amount of self-doubt, Unwin was a young, perspective man who could do a lot if he remained focused. Yet it felt like he kept on expecting Harry was going to stab him in the back the first chance he got. “I already told you why, the rest are just empty words, repeating the same thing.”

“I’ve never did anything like that before. I’m not even qualified,” Unwin finally looked at him and Harry couldn’t help but smile. There it was – the defiant, determined look that was telling him he set the boy on the right track.

“And that stopped you before from taking what you’ve wanted?” he pushed him a little more, sipping from his cup again to hide he was really curious about the answer. But he had the feeling his eyes were too eager anyway.

Unwin stood a little straighter, his body language suddenly boosted, surer.

“No.”

“I thought so,” Harry shrugged and gestured towards him. If he was perceptive enough, sure enough and mainly ambitious – he would ask him again if the spot was really already occupied.

“Well,” the blond took the coffee from the girl who was staring at them like in a movie theatre, apparently waiting for the conclusion. “Thanks for clearing that up, Mr. Hart. Have a nice day. Gotta run, have an interview.”

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but he was too dumbfounded to form words, and before his brain kicked in again to think of a suitable answer, Unwin was already out of the shop.

“Ah,” he heard the girl whisper behind him like in a haze. “I really thought he would take it.”

***

Harry thought of every possible version of their talk to have the outcome different. He analysed it from every angle, every side, but the unpredictable answer he got just didn’t make any sense. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go – he thought it through, so how did the result came out like this?

He contemplated it the whole way to work and came up with the only possible solution – if _he_ really wanted the boy to work for him, he should take the right measures and actually _tell him_.

“Mr. Hart, you have been requested by Mr. King,” Roxy told him right when he entered the HDR office, and Merlin handed him a file full of unpleasantly looking papers while grinning like a loon. Harry thought he just wanted to see him suffer.

“King?” he groaned, putting the file under his arm and signing a paper she handed him next. He didn’t even properly look what it was. “What does he want?”

“Definitely nothing nice,” Merlin smirked at him and Harry wondered if there was a possibility to send this guy instead of him like a convoy. He was not ready to take any complaining Chester King was going to give him, not today. It was definitely about Hesketh anyway. “I’ve left the rest of the files in your office by the way. All need your pretty signature.”

“Can you make me a stamp with it? Would be easier,” the CEO sighed and it seemed that Merlin was actually wishing him the worst possible hand pain ever.

“About your assistant…” Roxy started rather hesitantly, and when she saw his expression, she grew quiet again.

_Clever girl._

“Get to King as soon as you can,” Merlin was smart enough not to breach the subject further as well, even though the other topic wasn’t any nicer either.  “He sounded like on a carbon diet day.”

“God have mercy,” Harry mumbled and promptly decided to make him wait a bit longer. Maybe even after he finished all those papers he needed to sign and eat lunch. Just in case he would appear too eager to meet him.

He left the HRD office in haste because Merlin looked like he wanted to give him more paperwork, and rather went to his office to get a little more thinking time. He knew he had to be smart about it, because just calling Unwin with another offer would appear a bit too needy.

Maybe he could-

“Wow, who kicked your puppy?” a familiar voice greeted him and Harry stopped dead in between the door. “I mean. Who kicked your puppy, _sir_.”

Next to his table with a clipboard in his hand stood Gary Unwin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by TooManyShips (Bespokes-Maketh-Man)! Thank you so much <3
> 
> Harry, admit defeat, you blew it xD  
> Just a little note: I freaking love Merlin. Writing his dialogues is the best thing ever.
> 
> Thank you all for your kind comments! I'm very happy you like it, even though it's a silly AU <3


	5. Ambitious People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Was he at King’s office at least?” Merlin raised his eyes from his tablet just for a fraction of a second and Eggsy was pretty sure he played Tetris there and not doing any actual work.  
> “Nah, stopped at Prince’s at first,” he answered, earning a groan, but at least the tablet got put aside.  
> “I swear to god you’re the worst idea he ever had,” Merlin grumbled and took his keys from the table, gesturing towards the door. “After you.”

Eggsy was really, really sad. No, maybe more like terribly disappointed. He just stood there like a tit instead of taking a photo of the most shocked expression he had ever seen. Seriously, it was priceless! Hart arrived with zero knowledge of his presence and it perfectly showed on his face – wide eyes with million questions mirroring in them and for once Eggsy felt like he won. Well, Merlin helped a bit, but it was Eggsy who was the final witness of their devilish collaboration.

Hart visibly recoiled, like his brain finally kicked in and rebooted itself and started analysing the situation. Eggsy waited patiently – he didn’t want to deny him the possibility of working it out alone – and the older man entered the office in a slow pace, closed the door behind him and focused back at him.

“Mr. Unwin,” he addressed him calmly and Eggsy had to admit he was pretty good at keeping the composure. He expected him to sound at least a little surprised, but then again he had the vivid memory of his shocked look if nothing else.

“Mr. Hart,” he returned the naming with a nod, and the man’s face broke into an amused laugh.

“Well played,” he praised the boy and it sounded so honest it made Eggsy smirk a bit too proudly he assumed, but he didn’t really care. He played his part in the coffee shop well enough; he deserved the praise, at least for the performance.

“Thank you,” he replied leisurely. “Thought you’d like it.”

He watched Hart reaching the table where he put a file he was holding on the desk and looked over the several piles that rested there like he was wishing it would disappear if he pretended it wasn’t there. But since it remained even after a moment he stared at it, he let out a sigh and gestured towards Eggsy.

“Enlighten me then, Mr. Unwin,” he turned fully back to him, his eyes curious. “What do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected presence?”

“Well, I heard you were in a need of a personal assistant,” Eggsy shrugged with a fake innocence, picking on the edge of the clipboard to keep his hands busy. “And I also heard you think people are able to read your mind and answer your every whim. But since it’s not the case…”

“Merlin?” Hart inquired with a knowing look and Eggsy mentally gave him ten points for getting it right. He apparently knew his Human Resources Director well enough to be sure it was him who pulled it off, although not that well to predict it.

“You do realize I’d never ask you again after I got told you already have somebody else on the spot, right?” he decided to point the main problem out, frowning. “I mean who would?”

“Ambitious people,” Hart answered without missing a beat, like it was completely normal for anyone just go and demand a job that belonged to somebody else. For real, what kind of argument would the person have to present to them to hire him instead of a current employee? And how would he even be able to feel good about it afterwards, knowing he stole a source of income from a rightful owner? That was just sick.

“You mean dipshits,” he corrected him while crossing his arms on his chest. “Spineless bastards.”

“Even though you knew you were supposed to get the concrete job, you’d still not try to obtain it the same day?” the older man sat down without breaking an eye contact and Eggsy could tell he was genuinely curious about it. But wasn’t it clear?

“What if somebody decided they wanted _your_ job?” the blond opposed in a serious tone. “They’d just hop here, say they can do it a lot better than you, and bam, you’re fired and they are here instead of ya. Because they were _ambitious_.”

“You are very opinionated,” the CEO gave him a small smile, like he actually pleased him instead of putting on another proper argument. “I see your point, but I still think it’s a sign of weakness.”

“Is it?” Eggsy snorted. “Having common sense is being opinionated now? Having limits?”

“Limits must be tested,” Hart opposed calmly and straightened in his chair. “Otherwise you’d never know the true merit of a character.”

“Amazeballs.”

“I beg your pardon?” Hart blinked and Eggsy shook his head, gesturing vaguely towards the pile on his table instead. He had to get used to the fact this guy wasn’t one of his pals he could talk to too friendly-like, or how he always had. It was his boss – old fashioned he would say as well – and if this required to grow a silver spoon in his mouth, so be it.

“That’s lots of stuff here,” he said to change the subject, and his boss apparently let the previous topic go as well and glanced at the piles that waited for him.

“Indeed,” he agreed, sounding tired. “That’s why I needed you here.”

“To take it and throw it out of the window? I can do that,” Eggsy grinned and put down the clipboard, just to take one of the papers lying on the nearest pile. It was some kind of rubbish about interest rate, so he quickly put it back with a disgusted face.

“Alas, that would be preferable,” the CEO shrugged, but there was not much of humour in his voice. “But I need to go through all of this and sign it.”

“And that’s it?” Eggsy tilted his head in a question. That was kinda easy, but he looked like his hand would fall off. “Just signing it?”

“This pile, yes,” Hart pointed at the stack on the opposite side of the table than where Eggsy stood. “This pile,” he switched to the one Eggsy was looking at earlier, “is actually for you.”

“What?” the blond scrunched his nose, looking down at it once more. “How’s that for me? I thought I’d run after you with a notepad and make you coffee.”

“It’s for the financial department,” Hart gave him a stern look and then took the file he brought with him, looking inside with a frown like the content didn’t make any sense. “It was ready for Seville here since two days ago, but he didn’t show up.”

“Not that I blame him,” Eggsy uttered and grabbed the stack unhappily. He was here few minutes and already hated this job. “So what should I do with it?”

“Have you had the initial training?” Hart looked up suddenly like it just occurred to him. “I haven’t even signed your contract as far as I recall.”

“Merlin told me some stuff,” Eggsy shrugged, going through all the papers that looked like a gift from hell itself. “I signed something. He told me to act like I listened, so I did.”

“Charming,” Hart sighed and put the pen down, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Alright. Let us start with the basics. I need you to go to Merlin and tell him you need gadgets-,”

“I need what?”

“Phone, for example. Electronic diary. Notebook and tablet,” the older man stood up and circled his table once more. “I need you fully functioning by the end of today, or tomorrow morning the latest. The schedule and all details around it are our business, for later, but you need to put it somewhere, if you catch my drift.”

“Yessir,” Eggsy saluted him mockingly, earning a glare, so he stopped immediately.

“Take this with you,” Hart pointed at the stack Eggsy was holding. “And ask Merlin about the financial department. Since he was so kind to bestow you upon me without proper explaining, I’m sure he’d be delighted to show you around.”

“And here I thought you’d love to see me again,” Eggsy mumbled, turning around to leave the office, and heard his boss hum.

“I’d love to see you again while you’re actually able to help me here a little,” he informed him sternly. “Until then you’re nice to look at, but as useful as a dust catcher, so please.”

“Flatterer,” Eggsy shot back and exited the office while almost physically hearing how Hart rolled his eyes.

***

“Was he at King’s office at least?” Merlin raised his eyes from his tablet just for a fraction of a second and Eggsy was pretty sure he played Tetris there and not doing any actual work.

“Nah, stopped at Prince’s at first,” he answered, earning a groan, but at least the tablet got put aside.

“I swear to god you’re the worst idea he ever had,” Merlin grumbled and took his keys from the table, gesturing towards the door. “After you.”

“Hey, it was you who got me here after all,” Eggsy defended himself automatically and left the office as the HRD told him. “If you hadn’t called, you would have never seen me again.”

“Keep talking and I’ll remedy that mistake,” Merlin drawled and it made Eggsy to roll his eyes and shut his mouth.

The whole thing with Merlin was actually hilarious, when he thought about it on the rebound. All yesterday was bizarre and absolutely unpredictable, and after Eggsy got a little too desperate about the last call with Roxy, he got yet another one about three hours later, but this time from Merlin.

_“As much as I support Hart in his decision making, at least usually, this one is insane,” a Scottish voice told him instead of greeting and Eggsy realized it was the Human Resources Director from Kingsman in all his bald glory. “Are you still interested in the job?”_

_“Yes,” Eggsy responded immediately – more like barked it, really. He was angry already, it was like a huge freak show with them – yes, no, yes – and all the shite hit the fan at home as well when he told his mum he didn’t get the job after all. Not to mention Dean was present and there was a lot of shouting included that made him leave the house again in order to get some peace and quiet and not to punch his step father in the face. He reeked of beer anyway, so there was no point in arguing with a drunken person._

_He ended up in a skate park, watching people doing there magic to clear up his head, and when his phone rang with yet another unknown number, he had an urge to throw it under the wheels of someone’s bicycle._

_“Come tomorrow to the company then,” Merlin continued impatiently and Eggsy wanted to tell him to stuff his moods, he was freaking raging already, but he managed to keep it down enough for him to talk freely. “Early, at least at 6 AM, before Hart gets here. We get the contract going, I’ll tell you important things you need to know, and then you’ll get to his office and pretend all is fine and dandy. Too bad I wouldn’t be able to see his face, but it was his idea after all.”_

_“He has another assistant already,” Eggsy argued with a frown and almost dropped his phone when somebody swished next to him in a lightning speed and left him staring after the bike with wide eyes._

_“No, he doesn’t,” Merlin replied with an exasperated sigh. “He’s just so damn stubborn about the fact all the people have the same goals, so he was expecting you to come and get the work anyway, despite the fact somebody else could have it already.”_

_“That’s insane,” Eggsy burst out. “Why would I even do that?”_

_“You wouldn’t, that’s why I’m calling you,” the HRD uttered. “Consider yourself hired. Tomorrow at 6 AM in my office, you get it?”_

_“I get it,” the blond echoed in a daze. “But…”_

_“Don’t make me regret it, boy,” Merlin interrupted him coldly. “It’s Hart’s idea. He saw something in you and I am not going to argue with his choices. Now it’s up to you to show us if you are really what he saw in you.”_

“Are you even listening to me?” Merlin’s voice dragged him back to the present and he blinked and realized they had already left the 5th floor and were now in a lift on their way to the 3rd one.

“Ye, sorry,“ he apologized quietly and the HRD grumbled something unintelligible. “I’m really grateful for the chance. I mean it, thanks.”

“Hope it will last even after the first week,” the Scottish man remarked and it was a little sinister to hear it. He wasn’t sure why _Seville_ left the job, if he even did, or what kind of boss Hart could be, but he was pretty sure he could endure it. At least for year.

“Was he gawking?” Merlin suddenly asked and Eggsy returned the wondrous look with a serious one.

“Like an owl,” he just answered and Merlin swung on his feet like a petulant child and smiled.

“Brilliant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespoken-maketh-man <3
> 
> I have too much fun with Merlin. And I have too much fun with sassy Eggsy :D Oh Harry, you don't know what is coming at ya xD


	6. Ultimatum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It just keeps on beeping,” the blond groaned. “Do I really need it?”  
> “Unless you can keep my whole schedule in your head, then by all means throw it away,” Harry put down the pen and looked at the boy. “But I sincerely doubt it. Isn’t your generation supposed to be technology-smart?”  
> “I’ve never needed an electronic diary, for fuck’s sake.”  
> “Language,” Harry warned him. It was like talking to a 15 year old in puberty, they had to work on that. If he ever spoke like that in front of King, he would be out in a second. “This is not a pub.”

“Come on in, Harry.”

If there ever was a bidding that sounded sinister, Harry was pretty sure Chester King was a master of it - hell, maybe even a creator. Staying with him alone had rarely been a pleasant experience, and since he usually kept company that eased the impact, having his full focus never meant anything nice.

“Chester,” he greeted him with a firm nod and sat down on the chair opposite of the old man. His office was very old fashioned – Harry would even say proudly aristocratic, with a massive mahogany table that ruled the whole room, several tall paintings that graced the walls and basically the whole setup reminded him of a proper king’s chamber, in mostly green and brown setting.

“It came to my notice you’ve got a new personal assistant,” Chester opened the discussion with the most fragile topic in reach and Harry raised an eyebrow. How did he already know about the young Unwin? He seriously had ears and eyes everywhere.

“And that you ignored my recommendation,” he continued calmly and reached for a fancy carafe with golden liquid. “Drink, Harry?”

“No, thank you,” the CEO refused the offer quietly. “If you mean Charlie Hesketh, then yes, I ignored your recommendation, because we are not exactly compatible.”

“Charlie is one of the best here though,” Chester opposed and poured himself a half of the glass. “With experience and extensive knowledge of the company. And yet you thought hiring a boy without proper business background is wise.”

“As much as I agree with you about Charlie, I just don’t like working with him,” Harry refused to be intimidated by the passive-aggressiveness King adopted, not even when the old man brought the glass to his lips and watched Harry over the rim like he could shoot lasers any moment.

“But you like working with an absolute amateur?” Chester put the glass aside and stared him down. “His longest employment was in the Marines, and that was only training. Are you trying to make him a battle spy? Otherwise I don’t see any purpose of his presence here.”

“With all due respect, Chester,” Harry let out a sigh and straightened in his chair. It was exactly what he was afraid their conversation might get turned into. All he could hope for was to delay Chester as long as he could until he signed Unwin’s contract, protecting him for a while from King, to show his worth. “This is _my_ decision. I decided I don’t want Hesketh anywhere near me, and as much as you hate it, you have to respect it. I’ve picked Gary Unwin because he’s capable and adaptive.”

“ _Your_ decision,” Chester repeated coldly. “Very well. I’ll overlook the fact you had the nerve to hire him without my knowledge and boldly presented only the signed contract so I couldn’t do anything about it, but I’m watching both of you. He’s safe for now, but one mistake is enough and he’s off here, are we clear?”

 _A signed contract_? Harry didn’t show surprise on his face, but when did he do so? When Unwin waited for him in his office, there was no contract to sign, and all he did until then was taking the file from Merlin and…

…signed a paper Roxy handed him without looking.

He held back the laugh that bubbled inside of him and made a mental note to thank Merlin for that, right after giving him a talk about acting on his own authority instead of waiting for the decision of his CEO.

“We are clear,” he assured the man as calmly as he could and got up. “If that is all?”

“I’m sure we can deal with the rest on the Directive’s board meeting,” King smiled at him unpleasantly and Harry knew there was a shit storm coming their way. All he needed to do was to prevent it to hit them too hard by making Unwin the best assistant anyone had ever seen before.

***

“I have no idea what to do with this shite.”

Harry signed another paper and put it away, taking a deep breath while doing so.

“Well, then you have it as homework,” he forced himself to stay calm, even though the moment Unwin got back he didn’t do anything other than grumble about the electronic diary that should have been synchronized with Harry’s, while resting sprawled on a couch. Merlin apparently gave him all the electronics he needed, and since he came back without the papers for financial department they must have visited the right office as well (unless he left it somewhere lying around), but it definitely hadn’t made him any more useful.

“It just keeps on beeping,” the blond groaned. “Do I really need it?”

“Unless you can keep my whole schedule in your head, then by all means throw it away,” Harry put down the pen and looked at the boy. “But I sincerely doubt it. Isn’t your generation supposed to be technology-smart?”

“I’ve never needed an _electronic diary_ , for fuck’s sake.”

“Language,” Harry warned him. It was like talking to a 15 year old in puberty, they had to work on that. If he ever spoke like that in front of King, he would be out in a second. “This is not a pub.”

“No kidding,” Unwin mumbled and the device in his hands beeped once more, this time longer and almost as a rebuke. “Can you lend me a hand here?”

“I am busy, _Gary_ ,” Harry stared at him with a frown. “It’s _you_ who should help _me_. Half of the work I’m doing right now is _yours_.”

The blond inhaled to say something, but then thought better of it and remained silent. He fiddled with the device for a while longer until there was another sigh and he put it away.

“Okay,” he concluded bitterly. “So the paperwork might be slightly easier. What do you need me to do?”

“I need you to work without me explaining everything,” Harry bit out, his patience hitting a hard bottom, and Unwin’s face turned stony and unapproachable.

“Really now,” he just uttered and extended his hand. “Give me the papers then and you can drill yourself here alone as you please. I assume the table next room is mine.”

Harry had to take deep breath to hold himself back – he should have known it would be difficult to deal with the boy right from the start, but the pressure he still felt from King was making him easy to pique. And Unwin was so good at playing his nerves with the street talk he just couldn’t handle it with ease anymore.

When he didn’t react immediately, the blond seemingly lost his patience as well, since he snatched the pile of papers with a growl, took the rest of his new-gained things and stomped off to the next room, the doors shutting behind him with a loud bang.

 _Good start_ , Harry thought grudgingly and pinched the bridge of his nose. At this rate they were not going to be functional ever – even though Unwin apparently worked the best under pressure while being thrown into the centre without any knowledge.

Harry stared into the paper he was going through until now and an only person came to mind that could actually help them. He picked the phone and dialled the right number, staring at the door Gary disappeared behind, until a soft click signalized he had been connected.

“Morton speaking,” Roxy’s voice flooded the line after the third beep and Harry felt the knot in his stomach slowly easing off.

“Hello, Roxy,” he greeted her simply. “I have a favour to ask you. Do you think you have time to explain some basic stuff to my new stubborn assistant that just shut himself in the office with ton of work he doesn’t understand?”

There was a chuckle coming first and he felt slightly bad for throwing it at her while she had her own agenda to run, but if he needed somebody who wouldn’t run to King after to spill the beans, she was his first choice.

“Of course, Mr. Hart,” she agreed easily. “Shall I stop by in half an hour? I’ll just finish few more issues here.”

“That would be brilliant, thank you,” he smiled, hopefully conveying how grateful he was, and she hung up with _no problem at all_.

_Bless her soul._

***

“Are you hogging Roxy all to yourself again?” Merlin demanded right the moment the door opened and he stood in between them with a critical expression on his face. “Because I think we have talked about it before.”

“Gary is,” Harry didn’t even glance up while answering; the e-mails that started to pile up were hell to do. Especially when he had to do them all by himself in addition to his own agenda.

“I told you he’s a bad idea,” Merlin immediately caught up. “But nope, you just had to have him here, and now he’s hogging Roxy while I need her work on something else and you look like the world ended an hour ago and you’re behind with its schedule.”

“I’m behind with basically everything,” Harry admitted quietly and then let out a sigh. “It’s going to be fine. He’ll learn.”

“You’ll lose your patience first,” the HRD shrugged and then hummed thoughtfully and made few more steps closer. “Or you already did. Right?”

“Just a little,” Harry mumbled, already regretting it. If he wasn’t so busy, he wouldn’t have lashed out like that. “King was really nasty about it and it’s still lodging in my stomach like a lead.”

“Thought he wouldn’t take it peacefully,” Merlin nodded in agreement and put his things on Harry’s table, so he could cross his arms on his chest. “He wanted Hesketh here, eh?”

“Yes,” Harry uttered unhappily. The mere thought made his stomach turn. “I told him what I think about it and he basically shot me down with an ultimatum – and that makes me slightly nervous. Judging from Gary’s attitude… this is not going to be easy.”

“I told you.”

“Stop rubbing it in my face,” Harry frowned at him, but Merlin’s posture didn’t change. “Not to mention I have no recollection of signing his contract.”

“Oh, so now you want to take it back?” the Scottish man rolled his eyes and leaned over the table threateningly. “Harry, seriously, make up your mind. I had to be very sneaky about getting him in here before King could stop me.”

“If you let me finish,” the CEO glared at him. “I’m not taking back anything.”

“So?” Merlin deflated a little and Harry gave him an evil look. Always quick to jump to conclusions, that was all him.

“When did you made me sign his contract?” he asked simply. “Because King already had it there and gave me piece of his mind about it.”

“Roxy did. Your fault for not reading what you’re signing,” Merlin confirmed his suspicion and apparently waited for retribution, judging from his defensive tone, but Harry just smiled and nodded.

“Well, good job,” he told him sincerely. “He can’t do much about it now thanks to the contract. I wasn’t sure how to delay him, so you worked it out for me.”

“I always work it out for you,” Merlin uttered like the mere thought of him doing any less offended him. “Someone has to take care of you.”

“Of course,” Harry granted him that and noticed how Merlin looked at the closed door leading to Gary’s office. “Sorry for hogging Roxy like that.”

“Well, it’s fine,” the HRD shrugged, looking like he calmed down already. “Somebody has to teach that brat, if not you. What did King tell you anyway?”

“If he sees one mistake from the boy, he’s kicking him out,” Harry conveyed the message grudgingly. “That’s why I got a little short-tempered when all he could do was grumbling about the electronic diary and the fact he doesn’t really know what to do with the documents.”

“What have you been expecting?” Merlin snorted and shook his head. “He has never done a job like this, you think you’ll throw in to the pile of papers and he’ll swim like a pro?”

“I don’t really know,” Harry admitted tiredly. “Probably yes.”

“Oh, my sweet summer child,” Merlin smirked and retreated from the table, walking towards Gary’s office where he knocked politely and entered without hesitation. The last thing Harry heard before the door closed behind him was Merlin’s: “Quit hogging the only actual working person in the whole company!” and Gary’s answer: “Shh, we are going to marry tomorrow.”

He wondered if it was time to regret his decision now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Need moar Merlin xD


	7. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What?” he echoed with a bad feeling, and the man shrugged and gestured to him.  
> “Your attitude changed a lot,” he commented. “Thankfully.”  
> Yours didn’t, Eggsy wanted to say, but swallowed it up and just tapped at the display to get all the data saved and showed to him in a calendar, just to find out another meeting was scheduled for tomorrow.

“There is usually just one way to deal with it,” Roxy clicked quickly onto a swirling icon on the desktop and opened yet another application he saw for the first time in his life. “In here you run this link and it’s going to fill up the whole chart with the data you opened before. Is it understandable?”

“Completely,” he nodded with a smile and heard Merlin behind them sigh in exasperation. He had been standing there for about 10 minutes and Eggsy seriously didn’t care. Roxy was an absolutely delightful being and she helped him so much, so there was no way he was ditching her just because this grumpy cat decided he was going to play her chaperone.

“Is the dating agency over now?” the HRD asked impatiently, arms crossed on his chest, and Roxy sent him an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry for the delay, Merlin. Just a little more? Eggsy needs to know the basics at least,” she said lightly and Merlin raised an eyebrow.

“Eggsy?” he repeated the blond’s nickname dubiously and Eggsy didn’t really blame him, he definitely hadn’t put it in his resume. But with Roxy they decided to call each other by their first name, and since Eggsy never actually liked to be referred to as _Gary_ , he asked her to use his nickname instead and she agreed.

_“Eggy?” she tilted her head to the side curiously and he smirked and corrected her. “Alright, if you prefer.”_

_“Very much so,” Eggsy nodded with a pleased smile. “No one calls me Gary to be honest. Well, except Hart I guess.”_

_“He prefers using first names as well,” she nodded in understanding. “Just tell him to call you Eggsy and he will. I asked him for ‘Roxy’ as well, since he started with ‘Roxanne’. The only person who keeps on calling me like that is Merlin, but I think he just has some wicked pleasure out of it.”_

_“Good ol’ Merlin.”_

“Yep,” Eggsy just piped to confirm it for the Scottish man while he was watching the screen intently. “Feel free to call me that.”

“ _Eggsy_?” Merlin said again, but this time it sounded more like _really?_ “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It doesn’t mean anything,” the blond glanced at him shortly. “I just like it more.”

“What’s going to be next? Henny? Cocky?” the HRD shook his head critically and Eggsy refused to react to that. This nickname was inseparable part of him, like a second skin he needed to survive and he learned to brush off anyone who would tease him about it. With Merlin he rather stayed quiet, just to be sure.

“You need to put all the IDs of those papers,” Roxy started explaining again, thankfully, and he appreciated that, since it made Merlin shut up. “To this column. Sadly it needs to be done separately, so you have to put it one after one. Each of those opens another table where you add the rest of the data and then click for saving it and sending it to the main database, so the rest of departments can work with it too.”

“Gotcha,” he nodded and she straightened up; giving her a small smile.

“That’s about it then,” she told him happily. “If you ever needed anything, just give me a call. We will figure something out, I’m sure.”

“You’re a saint,” he grinned at her gratefully and Merlin groaned like a wounded animal, which made Eggsy roll his eyes and point at him. “Oh well, thanks for your help. Get that whining rhino out of here or he’ll combust.”

Roxy laughed and waved him off while Merlin sputtered something about cheeky brats and left the office like a tidal wave. He heard him calling at Hart something about bad ideas and how he told him in a case the shit was going to hit the fan later and with that the door closed behind them.

Eggsy took a deep breath and sacked lower into his chair, like the energy left with them. His head hurt a little and he felt he remembered maybe half of the stuff clear enough to function. Roxy helped him so much – like seriously a bunch, with patience and brilliance, and he could finally see the logic in the mess he made out of the papers and gadgets and applications he had never seen before. She helped him to get the diary going, explained the basic paperwork that made him desperate before and he could _probably_ get some work done.

The question was how he should deal with Hart. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had the right to be pissy about Eggsy knowing shite about the work he had to do instead of him, and he definitely didn’t mean to blame it on him either. But at the same time he didn’t feel like he wanted to emerge from here like nothing happen and ask him for the schedule synchronization.

He clicked through the e-mail folder to keep himself busy and almost choked on the amount of e-mails that were even four days old, unopened and marked as _important_. Most of them were already set appointments, meetings and inquiries about the fusion he heard of on the first day here, and he considered that topic to be a big thing around the company right now. Most of those e-mails were already viewed by Hart as it seemed, although not marked as _finished_ , and Eggsy went through them with a frown. Most of them had materials for printing and Eggsy realized he didn’t have a clue where the printer was.

Definitely not in his office, unless he was blind as a bat.

_“Mr. Hart likes the materials to be ready before he asks for it, doing it from your initiative scores you some brownie points,” Roxy told him almost casually in between the explanation of the correspondence. “Preparing it before the meeting is crucial, but if he had it a day before, it’s definitely better. Unless it’s something he really needs to study first, then of course giving it to him immediately after it arrives is the best approach.”_

_“Is he a prig?” he asked when she grew quiet again, clicking through the first application that needed some adjusting. “I mean, short tempered and stuff when those things aren’t handed to him fast enough?”_

_“No, not at all,” she shrugged. “I never saw him losing control or being angry. Or lashing out because of a minor thing.”_

_“Great,” he mumbled. “Scored some firsts then.”_

_“Don’t worry about it,” she offered a consoling smile. “He’s just pressured a lot these past few days, with Seville being such a lazy bum about those things, right before the fusion and the Directive’s board meeting.”_

Eggsy hummed and opened several documents that seemed important and his cursor hovered above the print button for a while.

“Oh well,” he sighed and got up, snatching now the fully functional diary. “Man up, Unwin.”

He should start getting used to the guy anyway; he was going to be his shadow for some time. Probably. If he didn’t fire him tomorrow for being completely useless.

He found Hart hunched above another file Merlin brought, probably, since he liked to do that as it seemed, and for a while he didn’t even notice Eggsy approached his table and waited for him to acknowledge him. It took one clearing of his throat for Hart to look up for a second and then look back, read few words and realize who he had just seen, and glance at him again.

“Yes?” he asked calmly and Eggsy put the diary on the table.

“Do you have time to go through your schedule with me?” he asked tensely, expecting the man to brush him off – but then again this was something he couldn’t do without his boss, right? He would have to borrow his device to help himself and since he wasn’t completely sure about the inner workings of it yet, he could have delete it whole and Hart would skin him alive for it.

“You managed to get it running?” the CEO asked surprisingly easily and Eggsy nodded.

“Roxy helped,” he elaborated and tapped his fingers against the desk. “I’ll take the rest of the work as well. And will do the e-mails. And stuff.”

“Alright,” Hart stood up and reached to his jacked for the same small device Eggsy left on the table. He fiddled with it for a moment without another word and Eggsy felt the tenseness growing inside of him gradually, expecting something from the man he wouldn’t like, but since his boss remained quiet until Eggsy’s diary lit up with the incoming file, he was apparently spared.

He confirmed the data and once the whole thing was done, he hummed and looked up, just to see Hart watching him.

“What?” he echoed with a bad feeling, and the man shrugged and gestured to him.

“Your attitude changed a lot,” he commented. “Thankfully.”

 _Yours didn’t_ , Eggsy wanted to say, but swallowed it up and just tapped at the display to get all the data saved and showed to him in a calendar, just to find out another meeting was scheduled for tomorrow.

“There is a meeting tomorrow,” he mumbled more to himself than to Hart, but the CEO answered positively anyway.

“You’ll find all needed data for it in the e-mail,” Hart added while looking into his own diary. “It’s a minor one, sort of like the one you were present on.”

“What about?” Eggsy inquired and Hart sighed.

 _Wrong again_.

“You tell _me_ ,” the CEO uttered. “It’s your _job_.”

Eggsy bit his tongue and tried to count to ten, but his defences were too strong for him to breach and before he thought about it, he was already letting out _no shit, Sherlock_ , and Hart’s expression hardened in a matter of seconds.

“You need to understand few things, _boy_ ,” a threatening step brought his boss closer to him and Eggsy found himself stepping back automatically, his throat tightening. “ _No_ profanities towards me, towards your co-workers, your authorities _or_ your customers. _Never._ You’re working in a successful company that makes more money than you can imagine and it’s built on mutual _respect_. One more vulgarity out of your mouth and there _will_ be consequences.”

His voice dropped low, almost to a harsh whisper, and Eggsy found himself not even breathing, and staring, _alarmed_ from the sudden mood change – and yeah, he wasn’t one who talked like an aristocrat and he admitted it was a bad habit, but if this wouldn’t stop him from doing it, then there was nothing else in a word that could.

“You work for _me_ ,” Harry continued with an eerie quietness. “And you _will_ respect me. Me, Merlin, Roxy, _anyone_. I haven’t hired you because I want a loudmouth that can only spout big words and insult everyone he comes to the contact with. You _have to_ work as is expected from you. Are we clear?”            

Eggsy saw the silent rage in Hart’s eyes, reserved and barely palpable, but there, and it made him unable to talk back even if his life was depending on it.

“ _Gary_ ,” his name dropped from Hart’s lips like a curse. “Are we _clear_?”

“Yes,” the blond echoed almost too quietly.

“Good,” the older man’s face cleared up again, but the strange coldness in the edges of his mouth and corners of his eyes stayed. “I want the materials for the meeting on my table tomorrow morning the latest. Ensure the presence of the executives and send them the protocol from the last meeting via e-mail, since we promised them that but never realized it. Sort that mess in the mail and call the AO I need the budget report ASAP.”

Eggsy felt the cold sweat breaking on his body, a painful spasm of _I have no freaking clue what to do_ seizing his body, but when Hart gave him one more look that didn’t mean _any questions_ but more like _right now, you fucker_ , all he could do was to nod like a tit and go back to his office, almost on automatic, like he his legs moved on its own. His heart was rabbiting in his ribcage like crazy, probably wanting out, and it was ridiculous, really – at least for him – but this man, this old, flirty fucker who was wondrously sitting even despite the stick firmly lodged in his arse, made him bloody _terrified._

Eggsy was used to face many things – violent situations, adrenaline from combat, fear and desperation of no way out from the Marines’ camp, helplessness against Dean and his power over him when he was younger, and nothing, _nothing_ made him this disheartened like Harry Hart on full angry mode.

And he wasn’t even shouting. He didn’t get Eggsy cornered, he didn’t even _touch_ him, but the tone, the weird vibe that soaked deep into him, into his inner core, shut down every possible comeback he could have and made him simply _obey_.

He heard the door click behind him softly and he slid down onto his chair like a ghost.

He was so _fucked_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Sorry for sort of too serious and uneventful chapter with a bitter ending QQ


	8. A Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And where is that new PA then?” James asked annoyingly cheerfully and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose.  
> “Probably calling his girlfriend somewhere where I can’t see him,” he grumbled, the phone calls Gary had popping up again with the fact he left with his phone in hand.  
> “Youngster?” James guessed immediately and Harry hummed.  
> “Twenty two, but that doesn’t matter. Roxy is the same age. Hesketh as well. But Gary never worked in this field, I’m afraid he is completely clueless.”  
> “You kidding?” his colleague snorted. “Who hired him? Without any experience, and right to the CEO? Somebody hadn’t been thinking~ Did Merlin want to make fun of you?”

Harry wasn’t an impatient person. He knew things flowed in its own pace and he was tolerant, rarely pushing for results until it wasn’t too hot and he really needed it. He also never had troubles with people he worked with, the initial get-to-know-each-other phase rarely took longer than few hours to find a rhythm, at least a manageable one. With Seville there were some issues, especially with his slow speed and few reminders he needed, but it hadn’t been as terrible as it found Harry today.

The meeting was in an hour and half. There were no materials prepared, no confirmation from the executives to attend and no budget report he needed preferably yesterday.

There was _nothing_.

Except, of course, Gary in his office where he heard him tapping frantically on a keyboard and talk even more desperately on a phone, and the more he tried to ignore it and excuse it, the more his patience was running low, as well as his belief that this was a wise decision.

Of course, Merlin warned him. Yes, King also had something say on the topic, but who would listen to that man and stay sane? Definitely not Harry. So he remained stubborn and stupidly hopeful the tides would change and Unwin will emerge somewhat victorious, but since yesterday he just couldn’t shake the feeling the boy was completely out of it. Harry didn’t know how long he stayed at work, but when he was leaving at half past seven, Gary was still here, in his office quiet as a mouse.

Harry admitted he had been harsh and probably a little too forceful yesterday, but for some reason the boy had a gift to bring out this part of him very easily, and he was starting to think he bit off more than he could chew.

_Probably a bit too My Fair Lady hopes for him. Adapt and transform._

Harry stood up and made several steps closer to the door that divided them, just to stop himself midway. Another confrontation would probably end  up with shouting, he was afraid. He was pretty sure it was the last thing Gary needed with all that he had to learn – but if there were at least _some_ fulfilled requests that would sate Harry’s impatience, he wouldn’t say a thing.

He noticed in the morning that the e-mails were mostly sorted, somehow, but he didn’t know to what degree. Gary marked them as _finished_ , but he had no confirmation of the true status, nor the trust so far. But he seriously didn’t have time to do everything for him – not with the fusion going on that needed his full attention or Valentine would burn them alive.

“Honey, please calm down,” he heard suddenly from Gary’s office, and the voice was hushed and a little frantic. “I know, I know. I’ll be home soon, okay?”

Harry frowned a little when another tapping sounded from there, followed by quiet curses.

“Sweetie, I can’t right now-,” an abrupt stop and a deep sigh. “I’ll try.”

A clack when he probably put the phone down and Harry had to take a deep breath to stop himself from going in there and giving him a piece of his mind about private calls when he had _tons_ of work and _none_ of it was done yet, but he managed to keep himself back and return to his table.

King was going to kick Gary out. If Harry wouldn’t faster.

***

Fifteen minutes later the blond emerged from his office like a ghost that Harry almost missed him. He noticed only because he put a stock of papers on the table and accidentally nudged the glass with water that rang against the desk.

“The budget report?” he asked the boy with raised eyebrows – he needed it yesterday and nothing came and this little pile looked more like for the meeting than the full protocol.

“Ah,” Gary let out and scrubbed his hand over his face. “I’ll get it.”

“Gary-,”

“I know, I’m sorry,” the blond quickly stopped him and disappeared in his office again. He looked terrible, Harry mused, with shoulders slouched and eyes tired and Harry felt a pang of guilt in his gut, like he put him there, make him look miserable and like he hadn’t slept for a week.  

He heard the boy’s voice again from the other room, but the words were muffled and fast he could barely comprehend what he was saying. For another ten minutes nothing happened and Harry dived into reading of the materials for the session that approached with lighting speed. The agitated presence that he was really behind with the schedule stayed, until Gary appeared again, clutching his phone and leaving the office without another word.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten.

It didn’t help.

***

"Your PA doesn’t function?” was the first thing Harry heard when he picked the ringing phone on his table. A smooth, male voice made him at least a bit relaxed. “I thought you got a new one.”

“Good morning, James,” Harry answered with a sigh, his watches showing only 15 minutes until the meeting and Gary was nowhere to be found. He heard the telephone ringing in his office sporadically for half an hour already, but there was no one to pick it up and Harry refused to go there and do it for him. “I got a new PA, yes.”

“He doesn’t answer the phone though,” his colleague opposed. “Is he mute?”

“Sometimes I wish he was,” Harry mumbled and flipped the eleventh page of his reading. His head hurt already. “Not so lucky though.”

“Fire him?” James suggested with a small laugh. He was always quickly done with everything, shooting simple solutions like it wasn’t heartless at all. No wonder he was the Director of Public Relations, always strict and perfectly professional when there were media in play. Not so serious once the doors closed though. “There are ton of people waiting for the job.”

“Like Hesketh?” Harry shook his head and closed the file with disgust. There was no way he would remember all of this, with so little time. “No, thank you.”

“Zeus is still trying to force him on you?” the man on the other line joked easily and it made Harry smirk a little. James was the only one who called Chester King _Zeus_ , and was always sending them chat messages with _Zeus is descending from Olympus_ when King was on his way to check on lower floors and departments. Once it even appeared on Harry’s screen while he had been projecting the charts and everyone in the room had seen it. James got an earful for it, but he never stopped anyway.

“Constantly,” Harry agreed and checked his watch. “But to be honest, at least he would be actually _working_.”

“And where is that new PA then?” James asked annoyingly cheerfully and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Probably calling his girlfriend somewhere where I can’t see him,” he grumbled, the phone calls Gary had popping up again with the fact he left _with_ his phone in hand.

“Youngster?” James guessed immediately and Harry hummed.

“Twenty two, but that doesn’t matter. Roxy is the same age. Hesketh as well. But Gary never worked in this field, I’m afraid he is completely clueless.”

“You kidding?” his colleague snorted. “Who hired him? Without any experience, and right to the CEO? Somebody hadn’t been thinking~ Did Merlin want to make fun of you?”

“Not really,” Harry rubbed his eyes and checked his watch again, the nervousness getting to him. “What did you need anyway?”

“Just the monthly report,” James informed him lightly. “Nothing really that hot. I’ll call later. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

“You can hope,” Harry replied grudgingly and James laughed and hung up. Harry wished he could laugh it off as well, but the meeting was in eleven minutes and he felt like he could break Gary’s neck by his bare hands. What was he even thinking when he hired him? He knew very well his background – Merlin even sent him his resume to reconsider – and yet he still thought he had to give him a chance.

Against all the protests Gary put on, Harry stayed stubborn and absolutely stupid. He should have listened to both of them. Hell, even to King. But nope, he just got swayed by one experience of the boy being cheeky and it made him so amused his rational part of brain just decided not to function.

And before the fusion as well! This was a disaster.

With five minutes to spare he left the office and planned a murder.

***

“Oh,” he let out, a little out of eloquence when the first thing his eyes landed on was Gary Unwin walking around the table while putting papers at each spot into neatly looking piles. The meeting room was still empty except of him. “You’re here.”

“I’m here,” the blond confirmed it quietly and put down the last pile. “The AO is working on the report. They said it’s inconvenient because it’s not a closed term and they have to estimate the final result. I had to bitch a li- I had to persuade them a bit.”

Harry stared at him mutely for a while, evaluating his murdering intents and then looked at his spot where two more piles of papers were lying.

“The confirmation of their presence,” Gary noticed his look. “And the protocol from the last time. Plus Merlin told me to give you those documents, they just need to be signed, something about the personnel changes in the financial department.”

_The reason of today’s meeting._

“Thank you,” Harry managed, trying very hard not to look like somebody just showed him the sky for the first time, and walked towards his spot slowly. There was tenseness in Gary’s shoulders and a strange wariness in his eyes at every move Harry made and when the first executives started arriving, the blond hesitantly approached the chair next to the CEO and sat down like it was made of glass.

“Ah, Mr. Unwin,” Ian was the first who noticed the blond sitting there, and there was an apparent distrust in his voice. “The protocol came a bit late since the last meeting.”

“Might be because I haven’t been able to send it until today,” Gary replied in an absolute calm. “I understand the one page text was difficult to check through with so little time between the sending and the meeting.”

Harry bit his lower lip to stop the growing smile and Ian sat down with a glare, but didn’t say anything. When the rest of the oldies shuffled inside, Harry greeted them firmly and began the meeting with a little lighter heart.

***

Gary was terribly restless. During the whole half an hour long sit-down with the executives he kept on fidgeting and flinching, and at some points Harry noticed the vibrating noises coming from his pocket where he hid his phone. He even saw him checking the device when he thought no one was looking and Harry had an urge to take it from him like in a school, so he would pay attention.

“Gary,” he reprimanded him quietly when there was a wild discussion in between the present people and the blond started scrolling down in his phone frantically. He almost dropped it at Harry’s voice and quickly hid it again, not even sparing a glance at the older man, but judging from how he paled Harry considered it a successful attempt to deter him from the device for the time being.

“Pay attention,” he whispered to him a little warningly and Gary nodded and started rummaging the edges of the paper he was looking into, like he needed to keep his hands busy. His legs started to bounce and Harry automatically put his hand on the boy’s knee to still him.  It made the boy freeze like deer in highlights, but the movement stopped. Harry left his hand there a while longer and when he was sure the blond was calm enough, he let go just in time to wrap up the session for today.

“In conclusion the financial department did slight changes and I believe it dealt with the problem well enough,” Harry ended with an optimistic note. “Thank you for your participation. Expect the protocol as scheduled.”

He saw Ian opening his mouth to say something, but Gary was faster when he stood up abruptly, making him stop dead in his track.

“Excuse me,” he mumbled quickly and left the room like there was fire behind his feet, threatening him with a terrible burn. Harry immediately noticed the phone in his hand and let out a long, suffering sigh.

Did he need to deal with this as well? Like the fact Gary was usually threatening him with heart-attack situations, now there was also the fact he was inseparable from his phone like a teenager?

He kept the stony face until all of the executives were gone and then took all the papers left and exited the room as well – just to see Gary standing only few metres from the door, talking to his phone.

“I know, hun,” he was just whispering, his shoulders hunched, his tone all too sweet, and Harry wanted to smack him over his head. “I’ll come in an hour, ye? I’ll get you something nice.”

 _The hell you’d leave in an hour_.

His expression must have said it all, since when Gary noticed him, his face fell a little and he looked like the world just ended. Harry wanted to tell him he could deal with his needy girlfriend later, but kept himself quiet and just gestured for him to follow.

Gary’s only luck was that he actually did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> How to piss off Harry Hart in three easy steps, Gary Unwin's edition.
> 
> EDIT: I've changed Percival to James aka Lancelot, his character is behaving more like it. Sorry for the inconvenience!


	9. Daisy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What do you want to talk about?” he asked, circling his table, and almost dropping his phone for the second time today when he noticed his boss standing in between the door, watching him with arms crossed on his chest.  
> Well, shite.  
> “Preferably there won’t be any talking until the work is done,” Hart reacted sternly and pointed at the phone like an executor. “Tell her you’re busy, this is not a call centrum.”

“Send them the protocol ASAP.”

Eggsy was expecting something worse, maybe even pissed off shouting or at least the hoarse whisper that made him panic like last time. The somewhat calm order about the work he intended to do anyway surprised him – Hart’s expression had been annoyed at the best before, signalizing he wanted to give him piece of his mind, but nothing else came. The whole stiff walk back to the office had a weird undertone and the fact there were no real consequences made Eggsy a little confused.

He nodded to the order anyway and disappeared in his office with haste. Daisy had been calling him the whole day, or he had been calling her back, and the fact there was only the girl next door looking after her (at which Eggsy was pretty much sure about her only texting and not really paying attention to the kid) while she had been feverish in the morning almost physically hurt him. He could barely concentrate on the task at hand, forgetting what he had to do, and when he finally accomplished something, Hart wanted another set of documents, or another shite appeared to ruin the fragile balance he maintained.

In between calls of his sister who had been either weeping and inquiring when he was going to return home, and the stress of not finishing his ordeals in time, and having to bitch at Accounting Office’s people to give him what Hart wanted, he almost crashed and burned from the sheer unstoppable force of it.

His mum couldn’t come home from work, Dean was out of the question and Eggsy couldn’t leave either or he could say bye to his new job. And Hart had been agitated, he noticed how he was glaring at him all the time, and there was _no way_ he would try to bitch at him to stop it at any point. The yesterday scene where he almost went to jump out of the window to stop the panic from the sudden realization of how huge the responsibility he suddenly acquired, was enough for him to understand Harry Hart shouldn’t have been crossed at any situation. There had been almost palpable danger from his posture, like he was close to snapping, and Eggsy found himself obeying like a frightened puppy that just realized his master hadn’t been only feeding him, but rightfully controlling him as well to repay the hospitality.

Eggsy quickly worked through the documents and tried to make sense of his notes he scribbled on the paper during the meeting, finding out only half of them made sense or he just couldn’t decipher his own handwriting. The whole paper looked miserable how he was rummaging at it to stop himself from thinking of the unread message from mum about not being able to come home earlier, and he couldn’t shake the vision of Daisy crying there in a dark, unpleasantly hostile flat with somebody who wouldn’t even play with her to keep her somewhat calm.

He understood his constant phone-nursing made Hart annoyed, but this wasn’t an easy matter – Daisy was a kiddo, she knew shite that the weird noises weren’t monsters in a closet or under the bed, and when she needed to be sure, she called him, and he was always there for her. The fact it had been quite often and Hart usually caught him red handed was another matter.

He shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate enough to fill the first page with boring rubbish from the meeting, all the dates and names of the personnel that changed, when his phone started rattling on his table again with the very well-known name on the display.

“Hi, luv,” he quickly answered it and positioned the device between his shoulder and his ear so he could continue working, probably looking like a Quasimodo after a heatstroke. “Have you found the cartoon?”

“Ya!” Daisy answered with a giggle and it made him breathe easier. She sounded cheerful and not crying anymore, so he considered the idea of making her find the DVD and watch her favourite fairy tale as the best he could have at that moment. “She talks with the dragon now.”

“Wow, talks with a dragon, huh,” he smiled, clicking at the printing button to get the protocol going. “She must be pretty awesome, like you.”

“Imma going to be Mulan!” the kid exclaimed happily and Eggsy could hear the Disney playing in the background. God bless TV.

“Ye, you are,” he agreed with her immediately and stood up, trying to make the mess of papers on his table somehow organized. He failed miserably. “You keep watching it, okay? I’ll call you a lil later.”

“When you come home?” Daisy shot out and Eggsy forced down the sigh. He had no idea, Hart didn’t really asked him for more _right now_ work, but he didn’t look like he would let him go either, and Eggsy didn’t want to give her false hope. She was able to sit in front of the door like a lost puppy and wait for him, and he really didn’t want her to do that.

“I don’t know, angel, but it won’t be long, I promise,” he answered as evasively as he could and Daisy _awwwed_. “You’re doing great, really. Like a big girl!”

“Ya!”

“I’ll call you, okay?” he promised softly, sincerely hoping this tactics would work a while longer.

“No!” the girl refused, making him blink in surprise and stop dead in his tracks. “I’ll call _you_!”

“Okay, you’ll call me,” he chuckled and when she bristled happily on the other side of the line, he could finally hung up. The kid was his everything, seriously. He didn’t know what he would do without her, that little sunshine.

He put the phone on the table and carefully opened the door from the office, peeking out first and then slinked through. Hart wasn’t there, apparently, so he exploited that opportunity and quickly crossed it to reach the copy room he found yesterday evening in the back of the hallway. He considered it a huge success, even though it just meant he could get some meaningless things printed, and it wouldn’t solve all his problems that piled up.

He speed walked towards the small room and almost jumped out of his skin when Harry Hart stepped out of there with several papers in hand, looking through it thoughtfully like he was wondering who it belonged to.

“Ah, guess you can keep it then,” Eggsy gestured lamely to the protocol he printed when Hart finally took notice of him, looking at him with serious expression. “It’s the protocol, I’ll send it to the rest now.”

Hart nodded, not uttering a word, and Eggsy could sense a storm hiding behind his brown eyes, brewing there uncomfortably, and it almost paralyze him from the unknown reason of it. Did he mess up the text? Or something else? Did he forget names or dates? Why was he mad?

But the CEO remained quiet and walked back instead, with Eggsy trailing behind him helplessly like he was going for a slaughter.

The walk was short, and close to the door Eggsy could already hear his phone dancing on the desk, eluding annoyingly loud noise, and goddamn, it was like two minutes, what could have happened? He quickened his pace, swooshing past Hart like a ghost and swam inside to his office to grab the offensive device.

“Dais?” he addressed her a little too panicky and the girl giggled, assuring him there was completely _nothing_ wrong and she was just feeling mischievous.

“I called you,” she informed him proudly like she hadn’t done it about twenty times today, and Eggsy rubbed his eyes and praised her, because he couldn’t do anything else than that for her.

“Good girl,” he told her quietly. “The cartoon is still going though, why you not watching it?”

“I wanted to talk,” she told him stubbornly. “I don’t like watching it alone.”

“What do you want to talk about?” he asked, circling his table, and almost dropping his phone for the second time today when he noticed his boss standing in between the door, watching him with arms crossed on his chest.

_Well, shite._

“Preferably there won’t be any talking until the work is done,” Hart reacted sternly and pointed at the phone like an executor. “Tell her you’re busy, this is not a call centrum.”

Eggsy shook his head – if he hung up on her, Daisy would take it badly and he seriously didn’t want that. He was happy he already made her stop crying and that her fever must have dropped as well, and disrupting that fragile balance just because one guy said so was on very low priority.

“Gary,” Hart hissed and his tone was sharp and made Eggsy shudder, but the blond definitely couldn’t budge. “I’m warning you.”

“Then you tell her,” he extended his hand with the phone towards the older man. “Tell her she can’t talk to me, go on.”

Hart looked like he wanted to refuse for a moment, but then actually grabbed the phone with stormy expression and answered it with his surname, like it was a business he didn’t want to deal with. Eggsy watched him intently, and with each passing second Hart’s expression started falling, until he was staring almost in a shock at the blond, like he just saw the secret of the universe.

“It’s a _child_ ,” he said after a moment of no doubt Daisy’s rumbling there about Mulan, or maybe her toys, or Eggsy.

“Ye. Tell her,” Eggsy dared him. “That I’m not allowed to talk to her.”

“Who’s Eggsy?” his boss asked a little dumbfounded after a moment of listening and Eggsy could hear her voice rising in the phone.

“I am,” he replied, even though Hart probably asked her and not him. “It’s a nickname.”

“I’m sorry, young lady,” his boss returned his attention to the call, his voice softening, almost miraculously so, and Eggsy found himself strangely captivated by the tone. He could tell Daisy quieted down as well and that was enough said. “But I need _Eggsy_ to finish all his chores before he can go back to you. Will you be a good girl and let him do his duties first?”

The first thing Eggsy’s brain supplied was _yes, I’ll be a good boy and do all my duties-wait, what_ until he caught himself thinking weird stuff and looked away.

“I’m pretty sure he will,” Hart continued and suddenly turned around and left the office with Eggsy’s phone in hand. The blond blinked in confusion and followed him, just to see him sitting down behind his own table and reaching for the file Merlin gave Eggsy for the signing. “But he has to learn and he needs to concentrate, or he would fail. A clever girl like you understands this, right?”

Was he seriously talking to the kid like that? And was Daisy seriously listening to it? Eggsy stopped at his boss’ table, eyes wide and curious, and Hart had the nerve to glance and him and smirk.

“It’s a deal then. He’ll be home soon,” the CEO assured the little girl gently, almost too gently for a guy who was able to make Eggsy go speechless and intimidated in a second, and then he told her bye and handed the phone back to the owner. Eggsy almost missed it how he couldn’t tear his eyes from Hart’s impossibly relaxed face.

“She was your business for the whole day?” he asked the blond calmly and Eggsy nodded, not really finding the voice yet. “That’s the first time somebody ditched their work this thoroughly because a child wanted to talk to them.”

“She had a fever in morning,” Eggsy shot out in a defence, his throat dry. “And no one could stay home or check up on her, so we had to ask the girl next door and she’s lame, so I had to… do it.”

“How old is she?” the CEO inquired and leaned back into his chair like he was genuinely curious and Eggsy smelled something fishy about it. Probably a harsh finish.

“Four,” he replied anyway and fidgeted. “I’m sorry for that. But I did everything I should have, you have to admit-,”

“I’m not saying you didn’t,” Hart stopped him with a raised hand and then looked the boy over like he was searching for something important. “Four years old. You were what, eighteen?”

“When she was born? Ye,” Eggsy shrugged slightly.

“And the mother?”

“You mean how old was she when Daisy was born?” the blond blinked, the reason for these questions completely escaping him. What did he care how old his mum was? Hart nodded though, awaiting an answer, so Eggsy took a deep breath and counted.

“About uh… thirty eight? Thirty nine? I think she hadn’t been forty yet when she got Dais,” he concluded, realizing he wasn’t exactly sure how old his mum was. He knew she was past forty now, but he remained embarrassingly clueless about the concrete age. He had to ask inconspicuously later.

Hart’s face went through several expressions, starting with surprise, then slowly morphing into wonder, until he settled on curiosity again.

“Noticeable age difference then,” he commented after and Eggsy raised an eyebrow.

“Well… yeah?” he gave the older man a weird look. “I mean, she had me first when she was like… twenty? And then she married Dean and they decided for the kid later, or maybe it just sorta happened, I’m really not wanting to butt into that - why are you looking at me like this?”

“Daisy is your _sister_?” Hart let out like he just figured out the biggest puzzle in the world and Eggsy didn’t understand why he sounded so shocked until his questions suddenly made sense.

“You thought she’s my daughter?” he snorted and his boss looked a little lost for a moment. “Oh man. Really, me with like forty year old, having a kid? You have some kinks, that for sure.”

“I simply assumed,” the older man straightened back in his chair, probably to get some seriousness into their conversation again. “You acted like you were her dad, that’s why it surprised me.”

“Neat,” Eggsy chuckled and hid his phone into the pocket. “Can I go home then?”

“No,” Hart uttered and started signing the papers from Merlin. Eggsy couldn’t say he hadn’t expected it. “An hour. That was the deal.”

“And then I can go?”

“For today,” his boss agreed without looking up and Eggsy felt his face breaking into a happy smile.

At least Hart wasn’t as heartless as he was trying to make him believe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Welp, kids.
> 
> EDIT: due to a lil freak outs I got about leaving 4 years old alone in a flat, I've adjusted it to the point that there is a neighbour watching over her, to give the unhappy parents I accidentaly gave trauma to some peace. Sorry you had to freak out over it, it's all good now. I think xD


	10. A Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Eggsy, huh,” he tried it on his tongue, and it was sharp, kind of upbeat, and he liked it for some unexplainable reason. Kids had sometimes interesting nickname choices.  
> “Guess I’ll keep you around for a little while longer,” he mumbled to his glass, taking a short sip. It burned pleasantly on the tip of his tongue and then rolled down his throat, leaving a fiery trail behind.

Harry didn’t mind children. He never had any, he never even wanted to, but he didn’t mind them being around, as long as they were reasonably quiet. The whole situation with Gary’s little sister made him contemplate it though, and he found himself at home, sitting in the living room with drink in hand thinking about his new PA the way he never thought he would.

Just in for today he changed his opinion on the boy about four times. In the morning he was so very close calling Merlin and telling him to tear the contract apart and fire him – no materials for anything, no work done. It multiplied the moment he heard him on the phone, calling somebody he considered a girlfriend, judging from the _sweeties_ and _luvs_ and whatever else pet names Gary used, always with a sweet, caring tone he never heard before. In all this Harry wanted to literally take the phone and throw it out of the window – and then maybe Gary after it.

He recoiled the moment he realized the blond had been, in reality, working hard on getting everything in order for the meeting – the protocol, the budget report, even got caught by Merlin to bring Harry more work – not so yay – and he re-evaluated his PA’s worth, until another set of phone calls that sounded even more lovey ruined it. It appeared like he was constantly on the line – working though, yes, he made the protocol right away and even printed it, but the lack of care he should have had in his workplace made Harry piqued.

On the other hand, suddenly realizing that all those phone calls had been with a little girl made him re-think everything again, until the horrifying conclusion of Gary already having a kid since he was 18 and with a woman twice his age flooded his mind like a cancer. The fact it was his sister made him relieved more than he was willing to admit, and it was better and sort of endearing to hear him talking about the child like it was his everything. It gave the boy some sort of humanity, approachability, more than when he was acting tough, or lately sort of timid, definitely because Harry had been harsh the other day.

The little lady had been actually delightful to listen to, Harry thought, even though she blabbered in her child-sort of way about some fairy tale she was watching, and which he heard in the background, and the lack of _Eggsy_ she missed very much.

The nickname gave Harry a pause, especially when his PA revealed it was him who she was talking about, and even though he meant to ask him about it, he forgot after their conversation and then Gary was gone and the chance disappeared.

“ _Eggsy_ , huh,” he tried it on his tongue, and it was sharp, kind of upbeat, and he liked it for some unexplainable reason. Kids had sometimes interesting nickname choices.

“Guess I’ll keep you around for a little while longer,” he mumbled to his glass, taking a short sip. It burned pleasantly on the tip of his tongue and then rolled down his throat, leaving a fiery trail behind.

For how much these past few days had been a rollercoaster, Harry had finally a good, accomplished feeling that his new PA could kick ass. If God be willing, even Chester Kings’.

***

“Congratulations, I’ve been able to talk to your new PA!”

Harry had an urge to smack James over his head for this, his heart almost jumping out of his chest for how he startled him, waiting hidden in Merlin’s office like a hunter watching its prey. He gave him an evil eye instead to keep some dignity – his and James’ as well – and tried to overlook he seemed like he just got ravished in a dark alley. His shirt was partly open, the tie was missing and his hair was wilder than the night in Vegas.

“Do you want me to give you an autograph for it?” he looked him over critically and James grinned and patted him on his shoulder. Merlin sighed at his table and apparently decided to ignore them, which Harry considered partly rude and party very wise.

“It’s a nice lad,” Harry’s colleague nodded thoughtfully. “Called me _bruv._ I felt special. _”_

“You’ve got to work on his verbal expression if you want King to let you keep him,” Merlin interjected matter-of-factly and clicked something on his notebook.

“James is beyond redemption and you know it,” Harry uttered and James maturely stuck his tongue at him, making the CEO roll his eyes and wave his hand. “Did you get what you’ve wanted from Gary?”

“Well, he didn’t make me a drink…”

“Work-related?” Harry frowned at the man and his colleague shrugged like it was no big deal. He was always so flamboyant, seriously, Harry didn’t understand why it kept on surprising him.

“Yes, I did,” James apparently took pity on him and just nodded. “Although he’s still a bit, uh… how to say. Confused about the job?”

“That’s an understatement,” Merlin snickered and Harry shushed him in reprimand.

“He’s learning,” he defended the boy sternly. After yesterday he felt like had to. He did his best and Harry was sure he ought to get even better with more time. Although time was exactly what they didn’t have with the directives board meeting approaching with a lightning speed. There was no doubt King was waiting for it like an impatient child for Christmas, maybe even marked it in his calendar with red paint, just to deliver a painful blow and get Gary out of here.

“Learning how to mess up even more?” Merlin suggested bitterly and Harry didn’t like that tone.

“Did something happen?” he gave Merlin a stern gaze and the HRD just shrugged and focused back at his screen.

 _Nothing then_ , Harry thought, frowning. For Merlin it was unusual to bring somebody down so openly, so he would expect there had been some accident, or Gary blew up the copy machine, but Merlin would tell him that the first thing after he would enter his office, so it wasn’t it.

“He’s just jealous,” James pointed out with a wide smile. “I like that boy! He’s unusual in this geezer’s world.”

Harry heard Merlin huff, but he decided to ignore him. If there had been an issue, he should have told him and not making faces like an elementary school kid. They were too old for this.

“Well, gentlemen, if that’s all, I’ll take my leave,” he gave them both long, calculating stare, and when James only grinned and Merlin tried to be invisible, he considered it the best time to leave them to it.

***

“Not really, I’ve been here as an intern,” Harry heard Roxy’s voice right the moment he opened the door to his office. He immediately noticed the entrance to Gary’s room was open and the humming from a boy confirmed they were both present.

“And you still like it here?” Gary asked, and there was curiosity in his voice. It made Harry chuckle, and Roxy laughed as well.

“Yeah, I still like it here,” she agreed. “You’ll get used to it. It’s harsh because it’s not something you’ve done before. Give it few weeks, I say. You’ll see Mr. Hart can appreciate a hard working person. And you seem like one.”

“Oh really,” Gary responded with a snort. “Do I look like hard working class to ya?”

“Possibly,” Harry could imagine her shrugging. “But seriously. You’re doing great.”

“Thanks to you,” Gary opposed, and his tone was lighter, softer, and Harry found himself unwilling to listen, so he closed the door behind him a little louder to alert them of his presence, and their voices quieted down. It was question of seconds before Roxy emerged from Gary’s office and gave Harry a pleased, welcoming smile.

“Good morning, Mr. Hart,” she greeted him with her professional tone. Harry realized it was slightly different one – he was used to it, she always talked to him like that, but with Gary she seemed a little different. Was it always this way?

“Morning, Roxy,” he nodded to her, forcing a smile on his lips, even though the thoughtfulness wanted to keep his face stony. “I hope everything is in order? Merlin seemed rather cranky today.”

“You noticed too?” she confirmed his suspicion and her face creased with worry. “I don’t know if something happened, he didn’t say anything. If did, it’s probably not work-related, otherwise he would tell us the first-“

“-thing in the morning, yes,” he finished it for her and let out a sigh. “Oh well, hopefully he just slept bad, and will be alright tomorrow, or after coffee, right?”

“You know very well he doesn’t drink coffee,” she corrected him with a smirk and Harry winked at her and walked closer to the door to peek inside of Gary’s place.

“Good morning, Gary,” he said to alert the boy of his attention and the blond looked up from the monitor and waved. He didn’t look exactly chipper either.

“Mornin’,” he returned a little stiffly, and Harry couldn’t help but wonder why. Was his presence a sign for him to build a wall around himself?

“How is Daisy?” he decided to push him a little, since yesterday he seemed very open when talking about the kid. Maybe it was a good ice breaker if nothing else, and a polite concern.

“Oh, she’s… sick-ish,” Gary replied with a shrug, but there was tenseness in his shoulders. “Not like super sick, just… not really ought to go to the kindergarden. So mum is staying with her today. Not sure how it’s gonna be tomorrow tho, she gotta go to work.”

Roxy appeared right next to Harry again and there was a silent question on her face. She apparently didn’t know who they were talking about and it surprised him. He would think Gary told her, somehow, but the fact he didn’t made Harry strangely satisfied.

 _Weird_ , he thought. _Why would it?_

“Daisy’s my sis,” Gary immediately elaborated for her, crashing the fragile superiority of extensive knowledge. “She got sick yesterday, was a little tough.”

“Aww,” Roxy cooed, stepping closer to the table. “How old is she?”

“Four,” Gary offered a rare smile – or was it rare, Harry wasn’t sure, maybe it was just with him – and Roxy smiled back. “But she’s really independent for that age. And really clever.”

“No doubt, probably running in family,” she praised him openly and Harry found himself having enough of it, annoyingly so, and turned around to get to his own table to do some work and stop thinking of random stupidities. There was an absolutely useless line of _I’ve talked to her yesterday_ on the tip of his tongue like it was some superior argument in a conversation that wasn’t even meant for him, and really, he had to stop.

“So what are you going to do tomorrow?” he heard her inquire and Gary sighed in exasperation.

“Hell if I know,” he lamented. “Mum can be there until ten, but then she gotta go. That means 4 hours of Daisy not having anyone proper to look after her. I mean there is always that girl from neighbourhood, but I wouldn’t entrust her with a cactus, not to mention a kid.”

“Would be easier if you could take her here,” Roxy suggested and Harry froze mid move. Take her here? A child?

“It would,” Gary agreed, but his voice was low, like he didn’t really believe it was possible. And hell, even Harry didn’t believe it was possible – kids didn’t belong here, like it or not. There had been few pregnant women and that was already frowned-upon by all those suited perfectionists who required precise flow, and not watching a woman fuming and going to the toilet to throw up. Once there was a kid with one accountant and she got a rebuke for it. When Harry was signing that paper with the official admonition, he cringed so hard he almost cracked the pen in half. But King was a pedant for the rules, and all he could do about it included telling her he was sorry and offering her a short-term holiday to take care of the child. It was also sick, as far as he recalled, so it felt almost like a Deja Vu.

“Ask him,” there was a hushed whisper, and Harry hated himself for still listening, even though he didn’t want to. What was he going to say if Gary actually did ask him about it?

 _No, sorry, you gotta leave your little sister with somebody who doesn’t care about her, because our company doesn’t care either._ A painful and ugly truth and Harry couldn’t help it.

“Alright,” Roxy’s voice was normal again and her heels clicked how she was leaving Gary’s office. “I’ll see you later, Eggsy.”

“Later,” Gary responded easily and Harry blinked. _Eggsy?_ “Thanks for everything.”

“Anytime,” she waved him off and Harry couldn’t help himself but watch her leave like a predator, all smiley and bright, like she found something precious and didn’t want to let go of it. He almost forgot to respond when she said goodbye to him as well, and then almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Gary’s voice near him.

“Wow, you okay?” the blond’s eyes widened and Harry quickly nodded, trying to mask the zero inner balance that seized him like a vice grip.

“Yes, sorry,” he assured the boy hastily. “Just spaced out.”

“Okay,” Gary didn’t look very convinced, but thankfully let the topic slide. Harry really didn’t know how he would explain it anyway.

“There is lunch with Professor James Arnold at one,” the blond started with the schedule, and Harry found himself staring at him, captivated. It was almost as he worked here for a year for how neatly he delivered the information, standing straight, no leaning over the table, no fidgeting. Even his clothes were closer to the dress code, and Harry let his eyes roam, checking even the smallest details.

“Eyes up here,” he got interrupted suddenly and flicked his eyes up again, seeing Gary looking at him with a smirk. “And here I thought you’re only eye-undressing young girls, tsk tsk.”

“Amusing,” Harry uttered and gestured towards him. “Was just thinking you look a bit more professional now.”

“Thank you,” the boy responded plainly.

“Suit would better though,” Harry couldn’t stop himself and Gary rolled his eyes.

“’Fcourse, buy me one, and then we can talk,” he shot back at the CEO and focused at his diary again. “There is also an appointment at the Harley Street clinic at five…”

Harry watched him to pause, contemplate and then probably understand, and a quick glance at Harry and then back at the device said it all. He must have known it was a psychology institute, judging from his sudden nervousness, but he gave him kudos for not asking openly or pointing it out.

“That’s it,” he ended it with a slightly less confident tone and Harry nodded.

“Thank you, _Eggsy_ ,” he tried it simply and the blond blinked. It took him about three seconds during which Harry wondered if the nickname was out of limits after all, and then his lips widened in a happy smile.

“You’re welcome,” he returned easily and yes, Harry definitely liked it more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> I'm sorry this is sorta uneventful, but Harry's thoughts are always kind of flooding when I'm writing his PoV :D Not to mention he started thinking a bit differently about his PA ^^
> 
> A noticable change! I've changed Percival for Lancelot aka James, because this flamboyant behaviour suits him better :) It is also changed in the previous chapter where he was talking to Harry about his non-working PA :) Just a heads up!


	11. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “At least there is no dilemma for him,” he pointed out to shut his mind like a dam, and Hart nodded. “And you? Picky or nah?”  
> “Very picky,” the CEO smiled and gestured towards him. “I have particular tastes that makes me annoying, according to people who had the bad luck and invited me for dinner.”  
> “So what, you niggle in your food until they understand you don’t want it?” Eggsy snorted and Hart picked his phone and keys before looking back at him.

Eggsy wasn’t sure why but he couldn’t get rid of the stupid smile that forced its way on his face and lodged there stubbornly. It was weird – there was nothing much to be happy about today. Daisy was all sneezy and cough-y, his mum was nervous about tomorrow, he had tons of work piled up on his table as if Merlin wanted take revenge on him for yesterday faux pas with not knowing what exactly AO stands for, and he almost hadn’t slept and it made him a little cranky.

And yet the smile stayed. A ridiculous expression that decided to make an appearance and never leave right after his boss called him _Eggsy_ , and it was stupid, but it just made him strangely happy anyway. He didn’t ask him to call him that like he did with Roxy, as far as he knew Hart heard it from his sister, and alone decided he probably liked it better.

It was sort of nice, wasn’t it?

It clung to him the whole morning, during dealing with correspondence, the files and e-mails, until he seriously felt like an idiot for it, and the more things he needed Hart to sign or at least looked over, the more reluctant Eggsy had been to go there and show him he couldn’t stop grinning like a loon.

_How little suffice for a child-like happiness._

“So, who is James Arnold?” he asked to mask his current mood once the pile grew taller and he had to inevitably visit the CEO. He tried to be subtle about it, approaching with caution while handing him all the papers and files, and earning an unhappy sigh from him.

“ _Professor_ James Arnold,” Hart corrected him while going through the first pile, his eyes skimming through the pages quickly. “And it’s just an old acquaintance. I’ve been planning to talk to him forever by now.”

“Work related talk?” Eggsy inquired, probably a little too nosily, and his boss stopped reading and looked up. Eggsy expected to be put down again, to _learn his place_ , but Hart just watched him for a moment and then let out a little shrug.

“Partly,” he said. “But it’s mostly private. Reminiscing about the old times, boring things I am sure.”

“Oh,” the blond responded lamely, looking down at the full table to keep himself not staring at Hart like a creep. He had that urge for some reason. “Should I expect you back or…?”

“Of course,” Hart returned to his work calmly and Eggsy watched his hand move in a learned curve of his signature, all smooth lines and positioning. He had pretty big hands, Eggsy realized. Big, with long, slim fingers and thin wrists. “It’s just lunch after all.”

“True enough,” Eggsy hummed and tear his gaze from the hands to his watch – it was almost time for Hart to go get ready. “You planning to take a cab? It’s pretty close to the rendezvous.”

“Ah,” the CEO blinked like he didn’t even realize the time moved so fast and put down the pen. “Thank you for reminding me. He wouldn’t be very pleased if I arrived late. _Again._ ”

Eggsy smirked, the image of Hart coming belatedly to every scheduled meeting sounded almost farfetched, and yet he could see him arriving late like nothing happened, not really giving others an opportunity to bitch about it while acting like the boss.

Well, since he was the CEO, he probably could afford it.

“He’d at least have time to choose something from the menu?” he offered and his boss chuckled and stood up, buttoning up his jacket languidly, almost gracefully.

“Trust me, James is always very quickly done with food, he usually has one dish he _always_ orders,” he responded almost fondly and Eggsy sat on the edge of the table and followed the movement of the man with his eyes. He was actually really tall, this man. Tall and with a broad back, lean waist and long legs, and in a perfectly fitting suit it actually made an impression on the blond, like it or not. Would it be the same _without_ the suit?

In different clothes, that is. Not like… naked. Not naked.

_Ugh, stop._

“At least there is no dilemma for him,” he pointed out to shut his mind like a dam, and Hart nodded. “And you? Picky or nah?”

“Very picky,” the CEO smiled and gestured towards him. “I have particular tastes that makes me _annoying_ , according to people who had the bad luck and invited me for dinner.”

“So what, you niggle in your food until they understand you don’t want it?” Eggsy snorted and Hart picked his phone and keys before looking back at him.

“I try to talk a lot,” the man replied. “So they think I have lots to say and it usually side track them from the fact I hate the food they cooked.”

“You must be fun at parties,” Eggsy commented with a chuckle and it made Hart smile again.

“I’m a blast at parties. I just don’t eat their food,” he told him simply. “I gather you eat everything?”

“As long as it’s not alive when it gets on my plate,” Eggsy shrugged and Hart laughed. “Well. And cabbage. I hate cabbage.”

“That makes two of us,” the CEO pointed out and approached the door. “Be good while I’m gone?”

“When I’m not?”  Eggsy had an urge to stick his tongue at him, but forced it down and just waved him off. Harry only smirked and left the room in a slow pace, but before he closed the door behind him, Eggsy added: “Get me something to eat as well while you’re at it!”

There was no reply, but Eggsy had been snickering about it for another half an hour.

***

“Oh, so you’re that new PA.”

Eggsy glanced up from the unfinished inquiry to the Valentine’s company Hart handed him in the morning, and blinked in surprise. He didn’t even hear anyone entering, and suddenly there was a young man with unruly dark hair standing in front of his table, watching him like he wanted to make him burn in hell just by the power of his sheer will. He had sharp features and piercing blue eyes, and Eggsy was sure he never saw him before, since he remembered faces very clearly.

“Ye?” he echoed and saved the document just in case. “Can I help ya?”

“I doubt that,” the young man shrugged and his tone was unreasonably hostile, like Eggsy killed somebody close to him. “I’m just wondering how you managed this. But then again, I guess you’re Hart’s type after all.”

“I beg your pardon?” Eggsy’s jaw dropped low. He wanted to tell him to stuff it, but making enemies so soon and so easily would only serve him bad.

_The fuck?_

“Blondie, blue eyes, I guess he still sticks to his routine choices,” the man continued, absolutely ignoring how Eggsy stared at him with a rising murdering intent. Was he just implying he got this job because he and Hart were on it like rabbits?

_For fuck’s sake._

“Was hoping otherwise, until I’ve seen your resume,” another salve and Eggsy found himself standing up, his shoulders tense and defensive posture in full throttle, threatening to go into offensive. “Like… _no_ administrative skills. _Whatsoever_. You do realize this job is _based_ on it, right?”

“What, like it’s hard?” Eggsy bit out and looked the offender over. He was taller than him, alright. But lankier and Eggsy was bold enough to think he would be able to take him on if he had to. “Or you need a fucking doctorate to pick up phones and type on a keyboard?”

“How sweet,” the youngster snickered and took another step forward, like he was feeling superior, and hell, he probably did. Eggsy felt his right hand balling into a fist and he was so fucking close to give him some he could barely stop himself. It always worked anyway – and when there was somebody antagonizing him like that, he was literally asking for it. A punch or two settled it, why wouldn’t it work here as well?

“Well, good to know Hart still likes them the same I suppose,” the young man hid his hands behind his back, as if he was trying to tell him he didn’t come here to fight, even though his mouth was saying the opposite. “Some things never change. Types and all that. Although you gotta be really good if he got you here without at least a hint of proper schooling.”

“I suck dick like a pro,” the blond spitted out without a flinch and it finally made the man shut up. He smiled tightly at him, like he forced himself to do so, and then relaxed once more and presented him with a paper he brought.

“I’m sure your rent boy qualities make him happy, now please,” he put the paper on the desk in front of Eggsy, and sighed in exasperation. “Sign this so I can leave. Your mere presence is lowering my IQ.”

“Thought zero can’t get any lower,” Eggsy uttered and put his signature on the line while gritting his teeth. Seriously, what was he trying to prove here?

“And I think dicks are not the only thing you suck at,” the final insult came, the paper disappeared and the man left Eggsy’s office with a leisure _I’m the winner_ pace. Eggsy wondered how good he would be at making the sudden fall from stairs look like an accident.

***

“Good, the building is still standing.”

Eggsy perked up, hearing Hart’s voice from the main door, and the reflex was so weird he forced himself to remain on spot, even though the first instinct was to go and greet him personally. He returned after two and half an hour and Eggsy wondered if he should make a joke about it, or rather keep the dignity.

“I’ve ran out of TNT,” he called back and a snicker returned to him before Hart appeared in between his doors.

“I’m fairly sure somebody in this building always has some kind of explosives to use, if you ask nicely,” he commented with a smile and Eggsy grinned from behind his table. Was joking with him always this easy? They must have switched people during yesterday, or he didn’t understand the sudden change.

“Like Merlin?” he suggested lazily and the CEO nodded with a thoughtful look.

“I think so, yes,” he agreed easily. “And if not, he’s definitely the one who would point you to somebody who has them.”

“Sounds like Merlin.”

“Oh,” Hart suddenly turned around and disappeared from Eggsy’s field of vision for several seconds, until he appeared again with a white box in hand. “I didn’t really know what you would order, but since you said you eat everything, I’ve just picked the first thing I saw.”

Eggsy froze up and stared like a deer in highlights.

“You brought me lunch?” he echoed, his eyes wide and brain having a slight overload.

“You said you want one,” his boss shrugged like it was no big deal – and no, he didn’t understand. He brought Eggsy lunch. From a private meeting with a friend. Where he seriously didn’t need to think of his PA’s stomach. Not to mention Eggsy was fucking joking! And yet… here it was. Lunch. For him.

“Did I break you?” Hart suddenly sounded concerned and Eggsy followed his movement with his eyes, going from the door to his table where he put down the box gently. “It’s food. People are usually glad when they get some.”

“I… guess?” Eggsy piped, his hand slowly reaching for the box almost in awe. “I mean… yes. Thank you? I meant it as a joke though, you… know that, right?”

“I don’t know about you, but I never joke about food,” Hart smirked in amusement and Eggsy seriously thought somebody _had to_ switch his previous employer for this one, or it wasn’t possible.

“Well,” the blond said, dragging the box closer to him. “Good for you – I’m like a dog. Bring me food and you have my loyalty.”

“What, so you work for food only?” the CEO faked his surprise with ease. “I’ve signed the wrong contract then, I need to call Merlin to change it.”

“Hilarious,” Eggsy scrunched his nose at him and Hart chuckled and turned around.

“Well, bon appetite, as the French say,” he waved him off. “Don’t choke on it.”

Eggsy snorted and opened the box with curiosity, blinking once, then twice at the content. It was a grilled meat with tons of potatoes wedges and grilled vegetable, and it looked so fucking good that he had to stare a bit longer before he realized he didn’t really eat yet and this was so fucking precious.

“Anything happened during my absence?” he heard from Hart’s office and a picture of the arrogant prick that came here to insult him popped to his mind.

“No,” he called back, tasting the food with a pleased smile. “Nothing at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Uuuu, I love easy banter scenes <3


	12. The Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It did,” he chuckled, trying to calm down a little. “Charlie Hesketh is his favourite, and I’d dare to say, an agent. If he had been working as my PA, I wouldn’t be able to do anything without King’s knowledge. That can be… bad.”  
> Eggsy remained quiet for a moment, like he was thinking of something very hard, and then hummed thoughtfully.  
> “So what about me?” he asked quietly. “I fuck up and it’s the end?”  
> “Language.”

It was coffee. Harry stared at it for a whole minute from a substantial distance and it was just that – a cup from Starbucks with steaming coffee inside, sitting on his desk like somebody planted it there like a bomb, waiting for him to come close so it could explode.

When nothing happened for another minute, he took a hesitant step forward and picked it up – there was his first name on the cup written hastily and it smelled suspiciously sweet.

“Eggsy?” he called the first person that came to his mind and there was a low hum coming from the office followed by a noise of the boy getting up then appearing in Harry’s room with a silent question in his eyes.

“Had Merlin been here?” he pointed at the cup suspiciously and Eggsy raised an eyebrow.

“No?” he gave out tiny shrug. “I brought you coffee. Were you expecting something nasty in it?”

“ _You_ brought me coffee?” Harry repeated incredulously and the blond visibly fidgeted like it embarrassed him.

“Well, you got me lunch yesterday, thought I’d return the favour,” he retorted, looking rather nervous. “I saw you drinking coffee before, thought you’d like one?”

Harry blinked and glanced back at the cup. The smell was very pleasant and he had a hunch it was a caramel coffee – for him having a sweet tooth it was absolutely perfect to go, but it would mean Eggsy was amazingly perceptive to notice such tiny detail. Harry wasn’t big on black coffee, he drank it only when there was crisis downing on him and he needed to stay awake, but other than that sweetened coffee with cream was his favourite.

“Thank you,” he returned his gaze to the boy and smiled. “I appreciate it. You’re quite perceptive to know I drink it sweet.”

“I try,” the boy shrugged and there was an apparent relief in his face, like he wasn’t sure until now, and for some reason it made Harry pleased he managed to get him a little calmer. He sipped the drink curiously and the initial hunch of it being with caramel got confirmed when the sweet taste hit him.

“It’s pretty good,” he commented happily. “Perfect way to start the day. How come I’ve never got anyone to bring me coffee in the morning? Must have been some very flawed management here.”

“Definitely,” Eggsy chuckled and propped over Harry’s table to fish for his diary, finally fully relaxed. “You don’t have any pressing meetings today by the way. I thought maybe, if you had time to spare, you can sit down with me and tell me about the company?”

“Me?” Harry looked at him over the edge of his cup and Eggsy’s expression immediately morphed back into a guarded one, like he was afraid he overstepped his boundaries, and Harry had to admit he was one to blame for this as well. The first few days made him cranky and terribly unhelpful and he snapped at him at every chance he got, so such reaction was only warranted.

Harry was always used to people who knew what they were doing and what was their place. He never got somebody who didn’t have a clue how to get the diary going, what to do with the financial department, how to work with all the apps in the PC, so the sudden lack of support threw him out of balance. Even though it was him who insisted of having a complete newbie here, he didn’t realize it was also him who should have helped him to acclimate a bit. Instead of that he made him feel stressed and, in the end, afraid to ask for aid.

“Was just a thought,” the blond mumbled, hiding the diary back, and Harry sipped a bit more of his drink before he looked back at the boy, licked his lips and shrugged.

“I don’t mind,” he told him simply and checked his watch. “Let’s say in an hour? I need to finish my agenda, then I’ll be all yours.”

Eggsy looked like he contemplated for a while how to react, but then settled on a firm nod and walked back to his office in a bit faster pace than normal.

***

“Chester King is the chairman of the Kingsman,” Harry started while Eggsy sat down comfortably on the sofa, watching him leaning against the table while explaining, and the boy naturally looked like he just arrived to the pub and ordered two beers – legs sprawled apart, arms on the backrest and Harry decided not to comment on it. Even though he could.

“Like the owner?” the blond inquired, absolutely ignoring his meaningful glances. “Running in a family or somethin’?”

“Not at all,” Harry chuckled – it was a common mistake from everyone, taking in his surname, that they thought the Kingsman was a family business of sorts. “It’s just a funny coincidence.”

“And is he good at it?” Eggsy asked next and it was really a question for million pounds. Chester King was probably a good chairman, even though he played more of a shadow eminence than an actual leader. He left that gladly to Harry – although the CEO wasn’t very sure about the _gladly_ part. He couldn’t say a bad thing about the man if he was taking it from the professional side, but the personal communication between them was always sort of… lacking. King was strict and sure about his goals, but the bad thing was he meant to go for it even over dead bodies.

“He is… adequate,” Harry chose a neutral wording. “He does his job well. But he’s very stubborn – if something is not working as he wanted it to, he’s able to make it _very_ unpleasant.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Like you, for example,” Harry gestured towards him, and Eggsy raised an eyebrow. “He had a different candidate for the PA. He didn’t care I had been refusing him continuously, so when I hired you, he decided to watch you _very closely_.”

“Creepy,” the blond mumbled. “So he had somebody else on this spot and that tied his panties in a twist?”

Harry couldn’t stop the laugh at that expression – even the mental image was painfully hilarious. This boy was bad for his health, honestly.

“It did,” he chuckled, trying to calm down a little. “Charlie Hesketh is his favourite, and I’d dare to say, an agent. If he had been working as my PA, I wouldn’t be able to do _anything_ without King’s knowledge. That can be… bad.”

Eggsy remained quiet for a moment, like he was thinking of something very hard, and then hummed thoughtfully.

“So what about me?” he asked quietly. “I fuck up and it’s the end?”

“Language.”

“I mess up and it’s the end?” Eggsy corrected himself with a roll of his eyes and Harry tilted his head to the side. As bad as it sounded, it was basically the gist of it. King could find the smallest thing and turn it into a catastrophe, and with Eggsy he could easily tell where things could go wrong.

“Exactly,” he replied with a grim expression. “That’s why I had been so… unpleasant, those first days. You’re a walking bomb waiting to explode, even now, and I could hardly cope.”

“So all I need to do is _not mess up_ ,” Eggsy concluded with a long sigh and Harry smiled.

“Preferably,” he agreed with him easily. “But as I said. I believe you have a potential, as well as you learn and adapt quickly. Just keep calm, if you’re not sure, just ask.”

“Roxy ‘s helping me a bunch with it,” Eggsy pointed out and Harry found himself pausing, like it was wrong to mention such thing, and he couldn’t point a finger on the reason why. It was him who asked Roxy to help after all. He shouldn’t have been upset about it now.

“Okay,” the blond stood up and he looked slightly more confident. “It’s gonna be fine, you’ll see. That old geezer won’t outsmart us.”

“Hah,” Harry barked out and almost praised him, but caught himself in time. He really needed to teach him how to speak properly.

“I’m sure,” he said instead and believed it.

***

“Where is that idiot?!”

Harry almost jumped out of his skin when the door to his office slammed open and Merlin stood in between them, fiery eyes and posture tense.

“Nice to see you too,” the CEO uttered, setting down the pen. “What happened?”

“Your damn PA happened!” Merlin entered with loud fuming and hit Harry’s table with a loud thud, leaving a paper in its wake. “Can you explain _this_ to me?!”

Harry blinked, his eyes quickly skimming over the text and then froze.

“A signed budget.”

“A signed budget!” Merlin repeated while gritting his teeth and pointed at the general direction of Eggsy’s office, like it was personally offending him. “Can you explain _how_ this little moron got his hands on _this?!”_

“I never got to see this, where did you get it?” Harry looked up, his mind reeling, and it was so damn _fucked_ if this already got to King. He never went through it, never gave a go to let it be approved – and there was even _on behalf of_ and Eggsy’s signature under it. Like it was done maliciously behind his back.

“For fuck’s sake,” Merlin snatched it from him and stomped to Eggsy’s room like a tidal wave, falling in without knocking or even asking, and Harry could immediately hear shouting. He quickly got up from his chair and followed his HRD there, just to see him bended over the table with the blond looking terribly pale.

“But I-,”

“Your signature, yes?!” Merlin was pointing at the line with Eggsy’s name on it, and the blond stared at it like deer in highlights. “Yes?!”

“Ye, but-,”

“Yes, but what? How could you even think you can sign something so damn important without even _asking_?! Where did you get that paper?!” Merlin continued his onslaught and Harry felt his throat tighten. He never saw this list coming in, could Eggsy hog it and then give it to the financial department without his notice? But why would he do that?

“I don’t know-,”

“That’s priceless!” the HRD turned around and he was definitely angry like a pitbull, Harry could see it he was only an inch from exploding. “So you just go and sign random papers people give you or what?”

“That guy just gave it to me and told me to sign it,” the blond suddenly said like realized it by himself. “He just-,”

“What? He just gave it to you?” Harry managed to enter the conversation, thinking hard of _who_ could just wave around the year’s budget, asking for signatures, and no one came to mind.

“I didn’t look…” he heard Eggsy whisper and Merlin hit the desk with both his hands, eluding a loud bang, and Eggsy flinched like he had been attacked himself.

“What?!” the HRD growled predatorily and Harry could see how he was holding from reaching for the boy by the power of his sheer will.

“I didn’t look,” Eggsy repeated, his voice shaking. “He just… gave me the paper, told me to sign it, so I did and he fucked off again, I-”

“ _Who?!”_

 _“I don’t know!_ ” this time the boy raised his voice as well, and it was apparent it took Merlin by surprise, since he straightened back up and then narrowed his eyes. “He just fucking came here and started insulting me, I really had no idea who-,”

“Are you goddamn serious?” Merlin interrupted him with a cold stare. “Someone came here just to insult you and gave you this for signing? How stupid do you think I am, _boy_?”

“Look, I’m not lying-,”

“I can’t deal with this shit,” the Scottish man turned around fiercely, the budget paper crumbled in his hand. “I can’t freaking deal. With this. Shit.”

He made several steps and then stopped at Harry, looking him dead in the eye.

“You fire this guy,” he hissed angrily. “Or I’m going to make it even worse for him. Yes?”

Before Harry could answer, he stomped out of the room again and left them both alone in a dead silence.

Harry had a feeling he was about to have a heart-attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun.


	13. Financial Department

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I heard,” Eggsy mumbled, fidgeting slightly. He felt like he was being scanned thoroughly, and he didn’t really like it. “I’m trying my best.”  
> “Yes, the mess we are solving right now confirms it,” a painful jab came and Eggsy hissed and looked away. “You’ll learn not to trust anyone here soon enough. Relying solely on yourself and your knowledge is the best key.”  
> “I can’t really do that until I know all the shite I need to,” the blond uttered and gestured vaguely towards the man, not really being mindful of his language in front of him. It felt like he wouldn’t buy it anyway. “Morton is helping me a bunch. Is she not to be trusted as well?”

“You signed the budget?”

Eggsy flinched, even though Hart’s voice had been calm and not even close to him. The serious shitstorm that hit them so suddenly left him absolutely defenceless, and he couldn’t stop his heart from beating like it wanted to escape from his chest and run somewhere to hide. He had no idea – absolutely no idea how this all could happen in a span of few hours. From when he was boasting of being careful because King wanted to see him out, until now, where even Merlin himself demanded to fire him like the blond had just killed somebody and they had to hide the body and lie to the Police.

“Apparently,” he responded as honestly as he could and Hart’s face turned colder and probably also a little disappointed. “But I _swear_ I didn’t know. He just… came here and he was so nasty I wanted him gone, so when he slipped me the paper I didn’t even _look_ -,“

“Who?” the CEO interrupted him quietly. “Who would actually go and do that, not waiting for me? There was specifically written _on behalf of Harry Hart_ , like it was meant for you to sign it without my knowledge.”

“I swear I didn’t know, Harry, I just wanted that fucker _gone_.”

The man took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, and Eggsy could see how he was torn in between being the rough, unforgiving boss he was used to through the first days, or the one that would try to solve it somehow helpfully, the believing one that joked with him.

“There is the Directive’s board meeting _tomorrow,_ ” he said finally. “The budget… it wasn’t meant to be presented there _yet_.”

“Is it bad…?” Eggsy piped and the CEO sighed.

“Yes, it’s very bad,” he admitted. “As you could see from Merlin’s behaviour. The whole thing shouldn’t be accepted without the Board having a say in it.”

“Fuck.”

It was apparent Hart was conflicted as hell. He stood there with a slight frown, looking to the ground, and Eggsy was counting seconds before the inevitable verdict would spill from his lips.

“I’ll go make some inquiries,” Hart told him after another moment, and it sounded somehow reconciled, with no real blame streak in his voice, but Eggsy could tell it built a wall in between them again, and maybe even higher than before. For some reason it bothered him immensely.

He kept quiet until he lost Hart from his vision and heard the door bang, and he felt strangely hollow, knowing there was shite he could do. How could he be so stupid? He _always_ read what he was signing; he had that habit from all those home-visiting bothers that his mother listened to even though they were faker than equality rights, and he always had to be there to stop her from signing random paper after he properly read it to her and she realized it was really, really bad.

And yet he did the same mistake – just because that guy skilfully distracted him with all those meaningless insults, so he didn’t look _what_ he had been signing in hope he would fuck off as soon as possible and leave him alone.

Not to mention he would never expect somebody playing such dirty trick on him just out of spite – but then again, these people thought differently, their brains were probably turned to mush with all this administrative nonsense they had to learn. He hoped he would never turn into an office zombie as well.

But seriously, he had no idea what he actually signed – the budget plan as Hart said must have been a plan for the money distribution in the company, and it seemed weird that him, as a simple PA, would have the authority to sign something so important.

It had to go through somebody else after, right? Like… the financial department?

He jumped to his phone and dialled the department from the phone list Roxy brought him before, and felt his nerves working overtime. He promised his boss he would _not_ mess up, and this now was _his_ shite he needed to solve. He at least had to try to make it right.

“Financial department,” the phone clicked and Eggsy’s heart rate kicked in like crazy. He already chatted with them few times, most of those girls were young and really nice, except the accounting office where they probably hated him by now.

“Hey, it’s Unwin, Hart’s PA,” he blurted out, trying to give his jumbled thoughts an order. “You busy right now?”

“Not as much, it’s lunch time,” the girl on the other line replied and Eggsy was almost sure he knew which of them she was. “You need something done?”

“Just wanna chat a bit,” he replied with fake casualness and she chuckled. “If you have a minute?”

“Sure, come over,” she agreed easily and Eggsy didn’t waste any time. If anyone would know more about the budget plan, it should have been them.

***

“The budget plan? But that shouldn’t even get here until it’s over the Directive’s Board meeting, no?”

Eggsy only nodded mutely, sitting on a table like a child his parents forgot here. He was sipping coffee Amelia made for him, and it was terribly bitter, but he didn’t say a word about it. He wasn’t here just for her pretty eyes, he _needed_ to get some intel as soon as possible. Since she helped him before with the papers Hart gave him the first day, he found an ally in the dark haired woman.

“But that’s tomorrow,” she concluded rather confused and Eggsy looked into his cup and thought really, really hard about the situation.

“Ye,” he glanced back at her minutely. “But there is a fake one circling around now.”

“What?” she widened her eyes. “Why?”

“Limits must be tested,” he said as seriously as possible. “It’s here because King wants to know if the AO, and basically the whole financial department _can_ tell difference.”

“Are you joking?” she looked distressed all of sudden and Eggsy immediately understood he hit the sore spot. “He’s doing that charade with testing _again_?”

_Oh. Bingo._

“Yeah, you know. Old fart who’s bored,” he gave out a shrug and she groaned and slammed her cup down with a bit too much strength, apparently agreeing.

“I hate when he does that! The last time this happened he fired about half of our department, saying we have no place in here if we couldn’t distinguish simple forms. There was like… one minor detail, I swear. I noticed only because I’ve been doing that mistake when I started working here and remembered it,” she rumbled and started walking from a place to place like there was a nervous streak in her.

“What a jerkface,” Eggsy echoed. He really sounded like a major pain in the ass and Eggsy wondered if this was also a test, but for him, so he could get rid of him. It sounded likely. “So the plan appeared here I assume?”

“If it did, it ended up in the in Percy’s office,” she said with a frown. “He’s the head of the department; he’s taking care of these things.”

“Wonder if he knew it was a fake,” the blond piped and Amelia rubbed her eyes like it tired here immensely. “Where can I find him?”

“At the end of the main hallway,” she answered and gave him a pleading look. “If you know about it, try to settle it down? I mean, I know it’s a test, but… the budget plan is basically once a year thing, nobody remembers correctly how it all goes in there.”

“Ye, don’t worry,” he gave her a smile, and it probably calmed her down, since she returned the expression, even though a little tightly. He just hoped he actually _could_ do something about it.

 _Percy’s_ office had been at the end of the long, creepily dark corridor, and Eggsy wasn’t sure he wanted to enter on his own without a gun. The whole place had been eerily quiet, even though the rest of the offices had been occupied, nobody talked, or at least not loudly. The atmosphere had been slightly unnatural, but Eggsy decided not to think more of it, since he never understood people who actually enjoyed solving math in real life.

He knocked three times and opened, his eyes scanning the room immediately to find a dark haired man with glasses sitting behind a table far in the office. He was in a dark blue suit and looked somewhat strict, like he never laughed or his face would crack.

“Sorry, am I interrupting?” he tried not to get on his bad side the moment he appeared and the man finished something on his PC and finally looked up. His eyes were piercing and vivid and Eggsy had a feeling he saw right through him.

“Depends on what you need,” he replied and gestured for him to enter. First success, at least Eggsy hoped so.

“I just want to ask about the budget plan,” he started, knowing very well he didn’t have time to spare. Not only because the whole thing could get to King, but also because _Percy_ seemed like he mentally gave him 1 minute of time to state his business before he would kick him out.

“The budget plan is not ready until the Directive’s board meeting,” the head of the financial department responded coldly. “It’s in the i.o.r., even though some apparently fail to understand that.”

“So you _do_ have the one that had been circling around since yesterday,” Eggsy immediately understood the jab, even though some _i.o.r._ didn’t really ring a bell. “The fake one I mean.”

“You mean this piece of crap?” _Percy_ grabbed a paper that was lying in one of his shelfs and rose it up. “What a joke. Who does Hesketh think I am?”

“Oh thank god,” the blond let out a long sigh. “So there is nothing going on with it?”

“Except it’s getting thrown out?” the man raised an eyebrow and put it back down. “No. For one, it’s too early for it, for two, there is no signature of CEO and I never saw the one that is written under it, and for three the Directive’s Board haven’t seen it yet, since there are no signatures on the form either.”

“But Merlin was running rampant with it,” Eggsy pointed out rather confused, since _Percy_ was talking like there was no way he would agree on it, but Merlin almost tore Eggsy’s head off.

“Merlin is not normally taking care of it, so I’m not surprised he got caught in that little trick Hesketh pulled,” the head of the financial department concluded and his mouth actually curled up a little. “He’s lately so agitated he’s making mistakes, I’m sure he needs long holiday.”

“I’m sure,” Eggsy agreed on it with a chuckle and a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders.

“I’ve never seen you before,” _Percy_ gave him a long stare and stood up, like he wanted to check him closer. “Where do you work?”

“Harry Hart’s new PA, actually,” Eggsy revealed rather grudgingly, since it was obvious this man would put one and one together with the budget plan.

“Your signature then?” an inevitable question came and Eggsy nodded shamefully.

“I didn’t look what I was signing…” he mumbled unhappily. “That guy was just so…”

“I can imagine what he was like,” _Percy_ party sat on the edge of his table and crossed his arms on his chest. “He wanted that job since he started here.”

“Tough luck then,” Eggsy shrugged and the man turned around slightly and buzzed the com. It took one second before female’s voice answered.

“Can you get hold of Harry Hart and tell him to come here?” The CEO’s name made Eggsy flinch and heart beat fast – even though nothing actually happened he still felt super bad for it. Seeing his boss angry was the last thing he wanted.

“I’m actually pleased that somebody unspoiled of the high game got here,” Percy returned his attention back to the blond and it made the boy a little nervous. Was there a catch? Was he polite because he planned to serve him to Hart on a silver platter, tell him how he messed up? “Although I can also imagine King’s displeasure with the choice.”

“I heard,” Eggsy mumbled, fidgeting slightly. He felt like he was being scanned thoroughly, and he didn’t really like it. “I’m trying my best.”

“Yes, the mess we are solving right now confirms it,” a painful jab came and Eggsy hissed and looked away. “You’ll learn not to trust anyone here soon enough. Relying solely on yourself and your knowledge is the best key.”

“I can’t really do that until I know all the shite I need to,” the blond uttered and gestured vaguely towards the man, not really being mindful of his language in front of him. It felt like he wouldn’t buy it anyway. “Morton is helping me a bunch. Is she not to be trusted as well?”

“Roxy is a sly fox,” _Percy_ gave out a laugh like there was some private joke Eggsy should have been getting. “She-,”

His voice got cut off by the sound of an intercom buzzing again, and the same female voice started speaking.

“Mr. Hart said he’s too busy for chatting, and he will stop by later,” she delivered almost mechanically and Eggsy wondered if she really wasn’t a bot.

“Tell him I hold his PA hostage,” _Percy_ replied with a serious undertone and the com quieted down again.

“A hostage?” Eggsy cringed and the man shrugged like it was no big deal.

“I wouldn’t get him here otherwise,” he explained simply. “I’m sure he’s trying to gather intel about the budget right now, since Merlin definitely gave him some pep talk that included shouting and flailing around.”

“That would be correct,” Eggsy agreed with a sigh.

“Merlin is all bark but no bite,” the head of the financial department consoled him. “At least usually. You should have seen him chiding Roxy the first day she got here. Thought he would fire her.”

“But Roxy is good at her job?”

“She used to be a newbie too, remember that,” _Percy_ pointed out. “The same thing goes to Hesketh. But he’s King’s pet, so there is nothing much anyone can do about his asshatsy.”

“He’s wholesomely popular,” Eggsy snorted. He hadn’t heard a single nice thing about this guy, and if he was the one that came to his office and started telling him how Hart picked him because they fucked, he wasn’t even surprised.

“Loved to bits,” Percy agreed and then stilled. It took Eggsy one more second until he heard footsteps as well, and then the door shuddered under several knocks and the CEO entered the office with a solemn expression.

“Harry, I’m glad you made it,” Percy greeted him almost happily and straightened up. “Thought the mention of your PA would work.”

“Percival,” Hart nodded towards the man rather sternly and then glanced at the blond in a silent question, apparently expecting an explanation. “I assume this is about the budget plan.”

“You assume right,” _Percival_ nodded and then gestured towards Eggsy. “If you please, young man?”

“It’s not a valid plan,” Eggsy said quietly. “I mean, it doesn’t have the right stuff in it. According to i.r.o.”

“ _I.o.r._ speaks clearly,“ Percival corrected him with a smirk and Hart’s expression hardened for some reason. Eggsy considered it a bad sign. “If the CEO is present, it’s him who signs the document, _after_ the Directive’s board meeting, and is valid only when it’s accepted by the majority of the Board. As you know I’m sure.”

Several expressions flew over Hart’s face, starting with surprise, thoughtfulness and then ending up with some kind of relief.

“King hasn’t seen it.”

“And he never will,” Percival nodded like he just delivered the point breaker. And hell, he probably did, since Hart’s expression softened a bit and Eggsy stopped feeling he was ready for roasting. “As much as your PA hiccupped here, he solved it as well. Try to go easy on him.”

“I’ll think of something, thank you,” Hart responded, and it sounded slightly piqued, but for some reason not really towards Eggsy, but Percival.

“I’m sure,” the head of the financial department smiled again, and it was a little predatory and mischievous and Eggsy didn’t like it a bit. “He’s your type after all.”

Eggsy wanted to hit him with something heavy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Percy aka Percival is kinda becoming my fav character to write, lololol.


	14. A Type

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Am I your type?”  
> Harry almost stumbled over his own feet when the innocently sounding question came from the boy walking behind him, and could only wish it didn’t look as comical as he thought it did.  
> “I beg your pardon?” he managed to croak out, hoping Percival would burn in hell for that stupid notion. A thing for blondes, that was like a curse on him for showing an interest in a Swedish intern once. And not even acting on it, only commenting, and yet there it was – a thing for blonds, having a type, yes of course.

There was a point during today when Harry thought he made a terrible mistake and didn’t know how to deal with it. He saw all kind of results – a bad scene where King would shout and demand the boy to be fired immediately. A slightly better scene where he would tell him _calmly_ and have pleased expression on his face signalizing Harry that he won. And a little hope that King somehow hadn’t been alerted yet and Harry still had time to save the situation _somehow_.

When Percival demanded to see him and added his PA had been present, another set of conclusions shot through his head, and none of it was nice. Percival was a lone subject of all possibilities that could go south if you got on his bad side – mean ones, ugly ones, and in rare situations also very good ones. Harry never had a personal problem with him – the man was capable, efficient and he probably knew the place through and through, with all the minor details not even Merlin was aware of.

The fact Eggsy had been there _alone_ with him could have meant anything, and since the budget report – well, the _fake_ budget report – had been flying around, Harry only thought of the worse. Not to mention _holding his PA a hostage_ could in Percival’s vocabulary translate to _he did some stupid shit and I need you to punish him exemplary_. When he was going there, he didn’t even think it could be because it got solved, but because it got worse.

The surprise of Eggsy actually working through it and trying to deal with it somehow surprised him – pleasantly, mind you, but it did. The common goal – the dislike towards Charlie Hesketh and Chester King in general – made Percival help – well, do his job actually, but it was help nevertheless.

“Am I your type?”

Harry almost stumbled over his own feet when the innocently sounding question came from the boy walking behind him, and could only wish it didn’t look as comical as he thought it did.

“I beg your pardon?” he managed to croak out, hoping Percival would burn in hell for that stupid notion. _A thing for blondes_ , that was like a curse on him for showing an interest in a Swedish intern _once_. And not even acting on it, only commenting, and yet there it was – a thing for blonds, having a type, yes of course.

“Was just wondering,” Eggsy caught up with him, his eyes a little curious. “Percival was not the first who said that.”

“Wasn’t he?” it made Harry blink in confusion. Could it be that Merlin, or god forbid Roxy, gave him that idea as well? Well alright, Harry _might_ have a thing for fair types, kind of, but it wasn’t a law or anything. Just coincidence. The fact Eggsy had been similar shade didn’t mean he needed to immediately sexualize him, did it?

Well, he _was_ attractive. Harry would be a hypocritical if he pretended the boy didn’t have a certain charm to him, and a pretty face. But seriously, if they ought to spout that type nonsense, they could have had the courtesy to keep Eggsy out of it and not saying it in front of him to make him uncomfortable.

“No, that… I suppose Hesketh guy said it too,” Eggsy opposed and frowned a little. “Among other things.”

“What other things?” Harry inhaled sharply. This King’s pet was getting out of hand, if he thought harassing his PA was okay, he was solely wrong.

“That we fuck?” the blond shrugged and Harry almost choked. “Like, that’s why I got the job. Cuz we f-,”

“I understand, you don’t need to repeat that,” the CEO stopped him with a raised hand and left out a long, suffering sigh. It was like something inside of him shrunk in terror of what could have been said – such slander circling around was bad, _very bad_ , and not just for Harry, or for Eggsy, but the whole company. And these lies usually made it out and caused even bigger problems.

“I mean, that’s some nerve he has, innit,” Eggsy commented and Harry was glad when they reached their office and he could close the door behind them, hoping that nobody overheard the conversation. It was ridiculous. Working here or not, saying this about your colleagues was unprofessional and childish.

“Charlie Hesketh probably doesn’t even have a spine, not to mention _nerves_ ,” he uttered, walking towards his table in slow pace. His mind was reeling – he sort of understood why Percival decided to tease him about it, he had to come across Eggsy’s resume, or the notion of it from Merlin or James more likely, which gave him the ammunition to fire. Getting a newbie for this position was a heavy risk, but Harry decided to take it anyway, and as much as others were trying to sabotage it, he refused to give up.

“So,” the boy spoke up again and Harry sat down, glancing up at him still standing at the door like he wasn’t sure he could move away. “Am I?”

“What?” he watched him intently. There was always something lively about him, Harry mused. Even when he stood still, the CEO kept on apprehending him as vivid and, so to speak, unstable – either from his body language, usually open or inviting, to the fiery defiance in his eyes, or curiosity that ruled over him.

Of course he knew what he had been asking, but he secretly hoped they mutually dropped the subject as unsatisfactory, out of courtesy. He would do it. Young people probably not. He knew even Roxy had been sort of blunt at times, and he considered her very emphatic otherwise.

“Am I your type?” Eggsy repeated stubbornly and Harry gave up all the remaining hope of this boy becoming a little less straightforward. “Because one is an incident, two is a coincidence?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking on the third occasion then?” the CEO opposed with the renewed calm when he realized Eggsy hadn’t been agitated or angry for being accused of such thing. He seemed almost curious, like the sole knowledge of it was something he couldn’t confirm alone and refused to make assumptions – which was definitely something Harry appreciated.

“What is the third?” the blond finally moved from the door, adopting a slow, leisure pace, and Harry refused to get the talk get to him and follow movement of his hips by his eyes, even though it was asking for it. He was almost sure Eggsy did it on purpose and Harry had to say it would be a good pointer for him if he did.

“A pattern, they say,” the CEO responded, keeping his gaze on the boy’s face, and Eggsy hummed and stopped at the desk.

“I won’t get an answer from ya, will I.”

“I’m afraid not,” Harry gave him a small smile. “What you _will_ get on the other hand is a reprimand for signing a document before reading. I’m sure you learned your lesson.”

“Yes,” Eggsy mumbled grudgingly. “And I’m sorry.”

“I know you are,” Harry gestured vaguely. “But taking in the fact it had been Charlie who apparently came here for that sole purpose… you are excused. Partly.”

“What about Merlin?” Eggsy asked suddenly, like he just remembered the HRD had been there as well. Harry didn’t really know _why_ was Merlin so agitated lately, his whole _I’m always calm_ composure gone, but Harry was definitely not going to bend to his threat and fire his PA over a matter that got solved anyway.

“Usually he’s all bark, but no bite,” he tried to make it easier for the boy, since he looked like he wasn’t very sure if Merlin wouldn’t act against him. And if Harry wanted to be completely honest, he didn’t really know either. “I’ll solve it with him, leave it out of your mind.”

“Alright,” Eggsy mumbled, hesitatingly, and Harry wondered what else he should have said to make him understand, until the blond took a deep breath, turned around and sat on his table.

“Why do people even have types?” he asked and Harry couldn’t stop staring at the blatant display of familiarity they had without him noticing. He was sitting on his desk and Harry didn’t even mind, except of the fact he sat on several files that needed signatures. “I mean, what if they suddenly fancy somebody else and they are completely different? Would they pass them only because they are not _their type_?”

“Are we really having this conversation?” Harry gave up and pinched the bridge of his nose, so he would stop staring at the back of his PA like it was a holy picture. There was nothing holy about it.

_He needs that suit._

“Ye,” the boy replied cheekily and glanced at him. “I don’t have a type. Why do you have a type?”

“I don’t really… don’t you have any work to do?” Harry glared at him reproachfully and it made the boy smirk, cheeky brat, and nod like it was no big deal he had tons of paperwork on his table. No, he would rather pester Harry about _types,_ and really, was he trying to find out if Harry would fancy him or was he just generally curious? What he would even do with that knowledge?

“I do,” he had the nerve to shrug. “But you have to give me at least somethin’.”

“I may have thing for blondes,” Harry gritted his teeth and pointed at the door leading to Eggsy’s office. “Now go _work_.”

The boy watched him for a moment, probably thinking of how to tease him more or make his life miserable, but then he actually hopped off the table and sauntered to his place.

“You know what’s probably pretty cool about having a type?” Eggsy suddenly stopped and looked back at the man. There was something in his eyes Harry couldn’t really place. “Being pleasantly surprised when you start fancy somebody you never thought you would.”

***

“I heard. Percival was so kind and informed me along with a lesson from i.o.r. that lasted about five minutes of hell.”

Harry chuckled and closed the office door behind him. Merlin was sitting behind his desk like a rigid statue, his face in an unhappy scowl and there were several rumpled papers next to his right hand.

“At least Percy caught it in time?” he offered to comfort his colleague, but Merlin didn’t look like it helped. “So there is no issue.”

“What about Unwin?” the HRD asked sternly and Harry didn’t like that tone.

“I’m not firing him,” he replied firmly. “Taking in Hesketh’s obvious effort to get him to the bad position, I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to.”

“And you don’t want to.”

Merlin’s voice was almost accusatory and it made Harry more ruffled than he was willing to admit. Eggsy was a newbie, and he made mistakes, but nobody could say he didn’t learn fast and didn’t try to take care of his mess. The fake budget plan was the best proof out of all.

“Of course not,” he uttered coldly, frowning at the Scottish man. “What’s going on with you lately?”

Merlin’s eyes darkened for a moment and his shoulders slumped like he lost strength to keep the unapproachable attitude any longer. It always meant bad business and Harry felt the concern swelling up in his throat like a big, spiky lump. He watched the man taking off his glasses and polishing them with his sweater, and waited patiently for the explanation, because he was sure Merlin was about to give him some.  

“King has been pressuring me a bit too much for my liking,” he finally spoke and Harry should have known it was about this. For liking or not liking their chairman, Merlin _had to_ listen to him, as well as Harry did, because it was their job. “And as much as I found it unprofessional, it was starting to get to me.”

“About what?” Harry crossed his arms on his chest and took another step closer to the white table Merlin was hidden behind.

“You know very well it’s about Unwin,” the HRD gave him a stern look like he was telling him to stop being an idiot. “He won’t do anything personally. But he will make other people to do it for him, our shadow eminence.”

“Was he trying to make you fire my PA?”

“He was trying to convince me he’ll drag the company, or you personally, down,” Merlin stood up to even their height difference and circled the table slowly. He didn’t look like he was aiming at anything, more like he needed to do something else than fidgeting on his chair.

“And as much as I trust your choices, Harry, I can see the boy is bad business as well,” he continued quietly. “The thing with the budget – fake budget – was another proof. And _even if_ he’s going to learn and be better, you know how this may end.”

“I beg your pardon?” Harry raised an eyebrow, his mind ringing red alarm. Surely he didn’t…?

“It’s a young lad,” Merlin held the gaze without flinching. “I’ve seen you together and there is-,”

“I’m sure you don’t want to finish that sentence,” Harry stopped him with narrowed eyes. That couldn’t be real, was Merlin seriously accusing him that he wouldn’t be able to hold back his horses and try to get it on with is PA? “Because if you do, I’d be very upset, Merlin.”

“Fine,” the Scottish man turned away from him. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“You know where you can stuff your concern,” Harry grunted and finally put down the file he brought with him and that kept on lying on his table since Eggsy brought it the first day. “It’s done. Anything else you’d like to tell me or are we done?”

“Done.”

“Good,” the CEO turned around and walked towards the door. “And be so kind and leave Eggsy out of it next time.”

“Eggsy,” Merlin repeated with a snort, and Harry refused to look back at him. “As you wish. But I’ve warned you.”

Harry left without another word. Chester King was seriously getting on his nerves. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> So, how about you? Do you have "a type"?  
> (also, grow up, Merlin, geez)


	15. An Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It must have been an hour or maybe two of his aimless wandering when he suddenly found himself in front of the Kingsman, dark and quiet and static. The whole building was tall and majestic, maybe even obscure in its pompous flashiness, like a seat of aristocrats that ruled the country. Eggsy remembered the first time he saw it – the quiet awe and a palpable reluctance to enter like something bad could wait for him there.  
> Now, when he was looking at it from the street, taking in the small, sharp details, it actually felt more welcoming than his own home.

The weather was merciful that night. There was no wild wind blowing, no rain beating up the ground in its own rhythm, no vicious cold or searing heat. It hadn’t been overly welcoming either, but it was manageable and Eggsy was grateful he didn’t need to search for shelter just to escape the rough reality for a while.

His jaw hurt a bit still and every time he touched it, a quiet hiss escaped his lips. A wave of rage deafened him for a while until he took a deep breath again, counted to ten and clenched his fists.

If he naively believed something would change just because he got a job – and a good job, he knew it was more than he thought he would ever reach for in this field, something he never believed he would do – he was solely wrong.

Yes, his mum was actually happy for him. She didn’t really believe it for a moment, searched for some foul play as he did before as well, but when she understood it was all good, Eggsy felt like it smoothed their relationship again a bit, tinkered it better.

Until Dean came back to the picture.

Nothing was ever good for Dean. Anything Eggsy did gained zero value in the man’s eyes, and quite frankly, seeking his approval was the last thing the blond would do anyway. But he always thought: _for Daisy. I’ll try my hardest for Daisy_. So he tried to be better, to bottle up his rage inside and not antagonize his mum’s partner further, even though it was a filthy drunk and an abuser and if Eggsy had a chance he would slam him somewhere dark and deep and leave him there to rot.

But he couldn’t. So he tried.

The job was not good enough. Eggsy was not good enough. Or maybe he was just searching for a punching bag, since he came home pissed like he just decimated a liquor store by himself and wanted to fight the alcohol out.

Eggsy was used to it – as much as you can get used to abuse during the years of living together. But it usually didn’t involve him being so straightforwardly antagonistic, ending up with landing a painful hit to Eggsy’s jaw like it was completely normal and then even telling him he _deserved it_ , that he ought to _teach him a lesson_.

So Eggsy left. He didn’t feel like he could stay any longer, to withstand everything Dean was throwing at him, so even that he had to abandon the warmth of the flat and defy the puppy eyes Daisy was trying on him, it was still better here.

It must have been an hour or maybe two of his aimless wandering when he suddenly found himself in front of the Kingsman, dark and quiet and static. The whole building was tall and majestic, maybe even obscure in its pompous flashiness, like a seat of aristocrats that ruled the country. Eggsy remembered the first time he saw it – the quiet awe and a palpable reluctance to enter like something bad could wait for him there.

Now, when he was looking at it from the street, taking in the small, sharp details, it actually felt more welcoming than his own home.

When Merlin was giving him the hasty tour the first day, he mentioned the building was never fully abandoned, especially because many of its workers had been workaholics that liked to spend more time there than was healthy. Eggsy thought it applied especially to Merlin, but he didn’t say anything.

Now it sort of played to his cards – if he could get inside, there was a ton of unfinished work and the Directive’s board meeting threatening him the next day with the big unknown. If he did a bit more paperwork and prepared it before tomorrow came, it would definitely help, as well as it would make him stop thinking of how he would grab Dean by his jacket and beat him senseless.

He mentally patted himself on his shoulder for having enough common sense for taking his keys _and_ the ID card with him, as well as dragging out the memory of Merlin casually mentioning the back door entrance for the later hours, and prayed for it to actually function before somebody called the police. After all he looked like he just went for a run in his sneakers and jeans and a hoodie, and not like he worked in such company.

The _second_ entrance was on the opposite side of the building, hunched and almost hidden to the naked eye if he didn’t know where to look, and it seemed a little too abandoned and less noble than the rest of the place.

He put his ID card closer to the reader, holding his breath for some reason, and then it beeped shortly and the green light signalized he was free to proceed. The door clicked and when he pulled at it, it opened easily and let him in to the dark corridor, lights blinking unhappily at the intrusion.

“That was easy,” he breathed out and closed the door behind him quietly, like he was afraid he would wake something nasty up if he made a noise. He was here once and remembered it only vaguely, so the trip through the hallway to the lift had been a bit horror-ish, where he waited anything jumping at him any moment.

Like King for example. That would be probably too much for his heart.

Wait, he didn’t even know how King looked like, did he?

_Probably an old fart in a suit that costs more than this whole place._

He shook his head and sped up a little to reach the lift faster, and when he finally arrived at the right place, he mashed the button repeatedly. Even though he worked here it still felt like he was doing something illegal and he couldn’t shake the feeling all the way up, and to the office.

The whole building was sleeping, dark and only lighting up when he appeared just to darken once more when he disappeared from the vicinity. When he got to Hart’s office and flicked on the light there, it felt almost too surreal. The wide, airy window that was covering almost the whole wall behind the CEO’s table showed the pitch black night and blinking lights of the city below and reminded the blond of a painting at first.

He took a few steps closer, breathing in the quiet atmosphere and strange anticipation of doing something unusual and finally calmed down a little. It made him lose some of his anger, surprisingly, like the sudden change rerouted his brain, so he could at least concentrate enough for the task at hand.

He rummaged through papers on Hart’s table, not finding anything that would belong to him and mentally scolded the man for having such a mess on the desk. How could he even find anything in all the rubbish?

He checked the watch, noted it was half past nine and dragged himself to his office to boot his PC.

He wondered how comfortable the sofa in the CEO’s office actually was.

***

“The count is 1.5 with the additional… the additional… uh,” Eggsy pinched the bridge of his nose and put down the paper with a loud sigh. His head started to hurt a little and eyes burned from the tiredness, and he was afraid to look at his watch again. He did the majority of the work he delayed until now and his table looked a tad cleaner. When he couldn’t really wrap his head about something, he went back to Hart’s desk and sorted part of the mess just because it was at least something different to do where he didn’t need to think so much. He had a bad feeling his brain started to fry already.

He repeated this about three times until the CEO’s table was perfectly sorted and he had nothing else to do, except of re-reading all the data for tomorrow’s meeting that scared him shitless. The Directive’s board meant King was going to be present, and that idea frightened him. One slight misstep and Eggsy was pretty sure the chairman of the company was going to kick him out without a blink, and not even his boss would save him.

For some reason Eggsy felt like Hart would at least try to – their relationship changed a bit these past few days. It became a little warmer, opener, and even though Eggsy did nothing much besides messing up, it was a little surprising.

Not that he was complaining. He was actually very far from it – the attention from the man was pleasant, and the gestures he made really meaningful, and Eggsy couldn’t shake down the notion of _having thing for blondes_ even when he tried to.

If he tried.

“When I said take your work seriously, I didn’t mean to spend the night here.”

Eggsy yelped and almost fell off the chair when the smooth voice interrupted his thoughts. His heart almost escaped from his chest with the shock of the silence being pierced so suddenly and it took him about five second before he gathered himself back up to look to the door of his office, seeing Hart standing there with a raised eyebrow.

“Fuck, don’t do that to me!” he barked at the man, barely catching his breath, and Hart had the nerve to chuckle and approach the table in a leisure pace. “What are you even doing here?”

“Shouldn’t that be my line?” the CEO asked with a shrug and Eggsy realized he wasn’t wearing a suit like he was used to seeing him, but a simple white shirt and chinos, acquiring a wholesomely different look all of sudden. He appeared more… _homey_ , comfortable and a less serious. At the same time it seemed kinda wrong to see him in it like Eggsy broke some secret code or something.

“What?” Hart tilted his head to the side, apparently noticing Eggsy’s focused stare, and Eggsy’s brain unhelpfully supplied the only thing it could:

“You’re not wearing a suit.”

“I don’t really wear suit all day,” came a calm reply, but Eggsy’s dumbfounded mind just didn’t get it.

“I don’t believe you,” he let out stupidly. “You definitely sleep in a suit too.”

“Of course, and hanging head down so I don’t rumple it,” Hart uttered and crossed his arms on his chest. “So?”

“It feels like I’m talking to a doppelganger,” Eggsy mumbled and couldn’t miss how his boss rolled his eyes.

“I’ll make sure to convey all you say to my evil twin, now tell me what are you doing here at this ungodly hour?”

Eggsy glanced at the clock on his monitor and groaned. It was half past eleven – he usually crashed at this time since he started working here. No wonder he had been so out of it these few last papers he had been reading.

“Finishing work,” he finally answered how Hart wanted and got up from his chair. His legs were like rubber and his back hurt a little for how he was hunched above the text. “Or somethin’.”

“As far as I know Merlin is the only true workaholic I know around here, I’m sure you don’t want to become one as well,” the older man gave him a critical eye. “It’s really late, I’m sure you’re tired already.”

“Ye.”

“So go home, sleep a little,” Hart gestured towards the door and there was softness in his voice all of sudden, like he really cared. “The work can wait for tomorrow, I’m sure.”

“Says a guy who came to work at half past eleven,” Eggsy pointed out and refused to move. He didn’t mean to go home at all today, but now it seemed weird to stay when Hart knew about him. Asking about the possibility to crash on his sofa left a bitter taste in his mouth – there would be questions and he didn’t have a mood for answering them.

“I got a call,” the CEO said simply. “That some rascal is lounging in my office. The security is tight here, you should know that.”

“And they called _you_?”

“Who else should they call?” Harry shrugged. “It’s _my_ office after all. Not to mention it was obvious it’s you anyway.”

“You should have just told them to leave me alone,” the blond grumbled and fidgeted nervously under Hart’s watchful gaze. He could feel how the question of his presence was approaching in a lightning speed, and he couldn’t think of a suitable excuse even if his life depended on it.

“Possibly,” Hart said simply. “But then I’d miss the true reason of your presence from your own mouth.”

“Work,” Eggsy shot out immediately. “Cuz tomorrow is the meeting and I had nothing prepared, so. Work.”

“Of course,” the CEO hummed and Eggsy could tell he didn’t believe shite he told him.

“Look, I appreciate your concern, Harry, but I was just nervous, cuz it’s Directive’s board and I don’t even know how King looks like,” he tried to coax him somehow, but his body was probably too tense and gave him away. He didn’t really have problem with lying when he truly needed to, even though it wasn’t his favourite thing to do, but now it just wasn’t flowing as it should have. If his boss was perceptive enough, he was going to see right through it anyway.

“Oh, so I haven’t imagined it,” the CEO exclaimed like something surprised him, and Eggsy’s mind reeled.

“Imagined…?” he repeated the word nervously and the smile his boss gave him scared him a little.

“I wasn’t sure at first, you always talk so fast when you’re nervous,” the older man delivered the cryptic message smoothly and Eggsy felt the cold sweat breaking on his body. This wasn’t going to be pleasant, no way in the hell. Not with such expression.

“Ye?” he echoed and his hand automatically grabbed the edge of his desk to gain some support.

“You calling me Harry. Stop looking like you expect me to deliver an execution order,” Hart waved his hand and Eggsy froze. He called him by his name? For fuck’s sake, his brain should really get a filter between it and his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” he stammered out. “It’s a reflex, I didn’t mean to-,”

“Calm down,” the CEO dropped his arms from the posture and somewhat relaxed. “I’m not reprimanding you for it. I just wasn’t sure the first time, so I haven’t said anything. Call me _Harry_ if you don’t mind, it’s more comfortable for me as well.”

“Oh,” the blond blinked, a little taken back. “Then… if it’s okay?”

“It is okay,” the man assured him and then gestured towards the door again. “I can drive you home if you want to.”

“I think I’ll stay a bit longer,” the blond tried a nonchalant approach. “Still have some stuff to do.”

“Eggsy.”

“Harry,” the boy tried it tentatively, and yeah, it was better. Like they breached the gap by a mile and that was good. Except the fact that Harry was watching him very suspiciously now, and it probably didn’t mean anything good.

“Did something happen?” Of course he would ask. Eggsy was dreading that question and here it was, strangling him to spit out the truth or a very believable lie, and he didn’t want to give neither.

“Look, I just don’t want to go home,” he decided for honesty that left out the details. He could only hope Harry was going to take a hint he wouldn’t want him to elaborate.

“At all?” Harry tilted his head again, curiously now, and Eggsy nodded.

“At all,” he repeated patiently.

“And you intend to sleep on a sofa?”

“I slept on worse places,” the blond chuckled to lighten up the mood, but Harry didn’t really look like it was very funny. He actually seemed worried and that wasn’t something Eggsy wanted him to look like. It usually meant more questions. Worse questions. _Personal questions._

“Is this because of the bruised jaw?”

Eggsy clenched his fists and looked away. It had been what, few hours? And the bruise was visible already, fantastic. He should have just clocked Dean one as well, to feel a little better.

“I fell,” he uttered.

“On somebody’s fist?”

“Basically.”

“Alright,” Harry checked his watch meaningfully and gave the boy a long, calculating stare that made him regret he looked back at the CEO at that point. “So you’re coming with me then.”

“Excuse me?”

“With me,” Harry repeated like any protests were out of question. “Sleeping here is unnegotiable.”

Eggsy opened his mouth but Harry was already leaving the office as if the debate was over.

 _As fucking if_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> I'm terribly sorry for the delay, I had some weird block (probably still have) that just refused to let me write QQ
> 
> Anyway, Harry is so bossy, lol.


	16. A House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Second of all, the sofa is a hell’s torture device, you sit long enough on it and your bottom will hate you. You lie on it and you’ll ruin your back. Speaking from experience,” the older man continued sternly and opened the door for the boy, out of habit. It made the blond pause and glare at him, but he went through it eventually.

Harry couldn’t gain back his equilibrium, no matter how hard he tried. It eluded him mischievously every time he attempted it, hitting him back with a simple yet utterly outraging fact his young assistant was _abused_ at _home_ to such degree that he refused to go back there. It was absolutely unacceptable.

“I was perfectly fine in the office,” Eggsy was grumbling all the way back through the darkened building, but since he followed anyway his _perfectly_ sounded more like _maybe not so much, so fine, but I’ll bitch about it_.

“Well, first of all, tomorrow is the Board’s meeting. You’re wearing sneakers, jeans and a hoodie. Do you think that’s something King would appreciate?” Harry shot him a look, eying critically the boy’s attire. It was the same type of unacceptable clothes he came in the first day working at the Kingsman, and Harry was 100% sure King would use it as a reason why to fire him. The dress code was still a thing after all.

“No, but how is that even relevant?” Eggsy opposed unhappily and Harry made a vague hand gesture. He still had much to learn.

“S _econd of all_ , the sofa is a hell’s torture device, you sit long enough on it and your bottom will hate you. You lie on it and you’ll ruin your back. Speaking from experience,” the older man continued sternly and opened the door for the boy, out of habit. It made the blond pause and glare at him, but he went through it eventually.

“So your back is fucked up?” Eggsy asked once the cold night air hit them and Harry decided not to reprimand him for the language for now. As the boy had to adapt, for Harry it was only fair to overlook some of his quirks as well.

“I haven’t said _personal_ experience,” he elaborated with a smirk and it made the boy roll his eyes, but his shoulders lost the tenseness he adopted on their way out and Harry took it as a good sign.

“You do realize if anyone finds out about this, Hesketh will have a field day?” Eggsy pointed out when Harry finally stopped at the car he parked in front of the building and unlocked it effortlessly. “You taking your assistant home?”

“How would he know where I took you?” Harry shrugged and it apparently hadn’t been an answer Eggsy found adequate, since he stared at him with an unhappy scowl.

“It doesn’t matter _where_ you are taking me,” he propped his elbows on the car’s roof and watched Harry intently from there. He seemed reluctant to actually hop in the vehicle and Harry must have admitted it had to seem rather suspicious. “ _We_ are together during the night, and on top of that leaving _together_. You seriously think nobody will know?”

“Eggsy, I’m not intending to hold you captive in my house for my wicked pleasure, rest assured,” Harry said calmly and it was a little funny how the boy’s face morphed into an embarrassed grimace for a moment, like he wasn’t sure how to react to that. “I’m doing this because you got hurt, because it made me mad and because the office would not make you much calmer.”

“It made you mad?” the blond blinked, seemingly realizing what Harry just said and how it affected him, and Harry didn’t have a reason to lie about such serious matter.

“Furious,” he agreed with him with a frown. “So as long as I can help to keep you safe, I will. That means I seriously have zero intention to hurt you as well, at any rate.”

“Something a killer would say,” Eggsy smirked at him, but it wasn’t as light-hearted as he tried to make it sound and Harry understood, even though it pained him a little. Wasn’t he used to anyone caring for him, even slightly?

“Are we clear then?”

“Ye,” the youngster answered quietly and Harry hoped it was a mutual understanding rather than the fact he hadn’t have much of other choices.

“Good, now get in the car so we can go,” Harry pointed at the vehicle and opened his door while at it. Eggsy hesitated for a fraction of second, but then his body moved as well and he got in the car with a fluid movement.

“Do I get to sleep in your bed as well?” he asked once Harry fastened his seat belt and it made the man stop for a moment, rewinding the sentence once more in his head, and then he narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t push it,” he shot him a glare and Eggsy grinned back at him while looking too satisfied with himself.

Damn brat.

***

“I’ve expected a mansion.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Harry said while unlocking the door to his house while Eggsy trailed behind him like a lost puppy. “Hopefully you didn’t expect a butler as well.”

“I might have,” the blond chirped and it was apparent he wasn’t very sure if he really wanted to go inside when Harry entered the house and glanced back at him. He was fidgeting on the stairs like the door was protected by a spell he couldn’t pass through, and Harry had to stop and turn back at him for the boy to snap out of it.

“Is it really okay?” Eggsy asked in a low voice, looking back inside at the man, and Harry tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes, Eggsy, I wouldn’t take you here otherwise. Come on in,” he gestured towards him calmly and it finally made the blond move inside of the house, his steps slow and hesitant. His eyes immediately raked around the place like he was checking for traps, but then the apparent guarded expression slowly morphed into curiosity and his legs moved him out of the hallway to Harry waiting for him at the stairs.

“Does it pass the inspection?” Harry couldn’t stop the slight tease in his voice and Eggsy finally looked back at him and smiled.

“Ye, it’s pretty homey,” he commented and it sounded so sincere Harry stopped himself from saying anything else and just showed him the way to the kitchen. He wouldn’t expect the boy to look so impressed by the old-fashioned interior Harry kept for years, but he would be lying if it didn’t made him a tad happier.

He kept this place the same for _ages_ and always considered it his sanctuary where he could turn off his brain and just relax. He never got married, never really intended to either, so this place was solely _his_. Having suddenly another person in here that was curious and a little awed felt surprisingly alright.

***

Eggsy had been an obedient person when it came to things like sharing a place with somebody. For what Harry knew from his attitude, he expected him to fill the house like a bomb – loud and vivid and always moving. But once the boy crossed the threshold he became meek and quiet, following Harry around without too much noise, and for some reason it wasn’t as natural as Harry thought – it was like he had been afraid Harry would change his mind if he behaved normally.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but once he showed the boy around, no teasing comment came, just silent nodding and wide eyes and well, maybe he was just really tired? It was midnight after all.

“Sleepy?” he asked him softly when they finally stopped in the second floor and Eggsy peeked into the spare bedroom.

“Ye, kinda,” the blond admitted, and his voice was rougher than usual, strongly affected by the tiredness. “Can I sleep here?”

“Yes. I’ll get you something to change into,” Harry turned around, but Eggsy pulled at his sleeve and stopped him. It was such an adorable gesture Harry had to first look at the hand that was gripping his cuff and then back at the blond.

“It’s fine,” Eggsy assured him. “I’ll sleep in my shirt, no biggie.”

Harry wrinkled his nose at it and it made the boy chuckle, seeing the expression so openly.

“Hey, it’s clean,” he pushed at Harry’s arm to get him out of the room. “I swear. Thanks though.”

“I’m bringing you a new one,” Harry remained stubborn and wasn’t even surprised when Eggsy rolled his eyes and shooed him away.

It wasn’t like Harry didn’t believe him, but he spent the whole day in those clothes and the last thing he needed was it to remind him why exactly he wasn’t sleeping in his own bed. So Harry ignored the reassurance and found something fresh for him, the smallest he could get, since the boy’s frame was, after all, a bit more petite than his, although definitely not _small_. Harry was pretty sure there were firm muscles under all those layers of clothes he wore, firm shoulders and lean built, and maybe he shouldn’t really be thinking about it when the boy was next room, _goddammit._

The whole situation was bizarre at the best and Harry could almost hear Merlin chiding him for it, but seriously, for him helping somebody this way didn’t feel wrong at all. If he had to, he would keep the boy here as long as he could, if it meant to protect him from harm. The bruise on his jaw looked sinister and it made Harry’s blood boil when he realized the blond hadn’t been, in fact, fighting somewhere in a pub, but it happened to him at home, where he should feel _safe_.

He returned back to the guest room and knocked lightly. When no answer came, he opened quietly and peeked inside, just to find the boy curled in the bed – fully clothed and fast asleep, completely dead to the world.

“Oh well,” he sighed and quietly set down the shirt on the night table, in case Eggsy would wake up and some common sense would hit him. Looking at him now he could almost say the boy couldn’t be past fifteen, like all the worry and the tough posing disappeared and only the child-like face rested there innocently.

He frowned at the red bruise that spread over Eggsy’s jaw like he could scare it away. His hand moved almost on its own accord, gently ruffling the boy’s hair like he couldn’t help it, realizing just two seconds after what he had been doing and quickly pulled away.

 _A thing for blondes, huh_.

He considered a glass of whisky the best choice for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Sorry, this chapter is tad shorter than the rest, but it felt better to end Harry's PoV there :)


	17. Gratitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The room was bright and silent. A wide bed took most of the space and in its fluffed sheets slept Harry Hart on his stomach, one of his arms was hanging from the bedpost and another he used as a pillow. His hair was a mess, wild, dark curls so untypically untamed it gave Eggsy a pause to stare for a moment, captivated. He was sleeping quietly, but apparently deeply, since he didn’t stir even when Eggsy approached the bed and peeked at him almost curiously. He seemed peaceful, but at the same time still very tired, like he was up until late and couldn’t really cope with waking up right now.

Eggsy felt like something chewed him and then spit him out broken like an unfinished puzzle. He opened his eyes grudgingly like it was an ordeal, and groaned when the light hit him in full force. He had a cramp in his left hand how he was apparently lying on it for the majority of the night, and his jeans were unpleasantly digging into his hips.

Why the hell he slept in his jeans?

It took him about two minutes before he was able to comprehend his surroundings – this didn’t look like his room _at all_. It was sort of beige and warm-ish, with long, heavy curtains and unfamiliar furniture. The bed was wider than he was used to, with ruffled white sheets he kicked down to his ankles and the mattress that was dipping under his weight like it was made of fluffy clouds. He rolled on his back from the sprawled position he adopted during the night and stared mutely into the white ceiling, trying to kick his brain online again to get any explanation possible.

For another minute he got none.

After another moment of utter confusion he looked around until his gaze fell on the shirt lying on the night table, clean and neatly folded, and he realized he had been occupying a guest room of his boss.

His overly protective boss.

His too fucking nice boss, who just let him sleep here like it was completely natural for taking somebody home without a problem, after knowing them for so short.

And not even as a one night stand – that thing would Eggsy probably understood more. People always wanted something in return for their kindness; even when they refused the claim, and Eggsy couldn’t help but feel there was this _so what do I get in return_ waiting for him as well.

He let out a long, suffering sigh and focused on his watch he forgot to put down before sleeping as well, squinting at the digits. It was early – earlier than he was used to waking up at, and he contemplated to slink out of the house before Harry would even notice.

Which would be a dick move.

He left the idea be, feeling guilty just for thinking about leaving the man without at least saying thank you, and dragged himself to the sitting position. He must have fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow – he barely recalled the moment he even reached the bed. He remembered Harry telling him he was going to get him a shirt and leaving, and then Eggsy drew a blank, too exhausted to stay up any longer.

It took him just several seconds before he realized _why_ hadn’t he been sleeping in his own bed, and one touch to his jaw confirmed it immediately. Dean didn’t go easy on him, that for sure, that drunken bastard. The fact his mum was trying to stop him seemed like from a bad movie and Eggsy thought it was better when he left than to antagonize that fucker further.

The fact Harry got angry over this small matter (and yes, despite of being it fucking dreadful it was just a minor thing. There had been bigger ones, nastier ones and Eggsy was glad Harry was never going to hear about them) had been a surprise though – it wasn’t his business at all, he didn’t need to care – and yet he did, and wasn’t even ashamed to admit it. Eggsy would be lying if it didn’t made him meek – nobody actually cared for him this way before, if he didn’t count his mum on good days. He was afraid if he got just a little louder here, in this unknown place, he would shatter the fragile balance and become unwelcomed again.

He swung his legs over the bedside and stretched – for how comfortable the bed actually was, he felt like he had been lying on the floor the whole night, or in a harvester. Might have been also because his sleeping position reminded of a pretzel.

The whole yesterday made him slightly confused and as much as he saw it was reality, his brain just refused to accept it came without price. And if not price, then maybe there was something else waiting for him today – except of the Board’s meeting.

“Oh fuck,” he realized what had been that annoying nagging feeling in the back of his head, and the day got suddenly worse. The big unknown this gathering held was even multiplied by the fact he had no idea where he was going to get decent clothes – and he certainly hoped Harry didn’t mean to borrow him his. It would be probably the most hilarious picture ever, with how tall the man was.

The blond got up and stretched again, his joints popping unpleasantly, and then tried to smooth out the clothes to an agreeable degree – just to fail miserably. He spared a glance at the Harry’s shirt again and reached for it – it was going to be big anyway, but his own looked like he went through a rough fight with a grabby aunt.

Five minutes later and one clean shirt richer Eggsy left the guest room with quiet steps, peeking into the hallway and trying to catch any sounds coming from downstairs. Only silence answered him, interrupted by steady rhythm of the clock somewhere in the hallway. This whole place was so cosy and homey he felt like he knew it here, somehow, even though he had never been here before. Everything was neat, for a guy living alone at least, with antique pieces decorating the place, and Eggsy wondered if Harry was always a bit of a bachelor, or if he maybe got divorced, or just ended a serious, long-term relationship. He found it unlikely for a man like him to never find somebody, or somebody never finding him, with all the hidden charms he had. Some of them weren’t even hidden but completely blatant and sure – from the first impression of _attractive_ to those little details of his sense of humour and protectiveness that absolutely disarmed Eggsy in one go.

Yes, Eggsy’s own first impression involved thinking of him as a flirty rich fuck, but it didn’t take long for him to actually realize Harry was more, so much more.

And now he was here, in his house, hogging his guest room and wearing his shirt, and fucking hell, this was like from a cheap romance book.

He groaned to himself and shuffled to the railing at the stairs, bending over to catch any sounds he might have missed the first time, but nothing came, so he concluded Harry was still asleep. Eggsy wasn’t really sure _why_ he had been so curious about it, it was like his body refused to listen to his brain, so when it moved towards the first door he didn’t remember what was behind of, he didn’t even try to stop himself.

He opened as silently as he could and peeked inside, just to be greeted with a study room, dominated by a heavy, mahogany desk in the back and sterile fitting. The table was almost buried under the paperwork and Eggsy decided to overlook it – his night paper sorting in the office had been enough and he still wanted to give Harry an earful for it.

He shuffled towards another door and hesitated before pulling the handle. What if Harry was already awake, just still in bed? Wouldn’t be rude to just go there and… Why was he even going there?

His brain halted, but his hands already knocked politely three times, even though probably too quiet for the man to hear it, and opened the door.

The room was bright and silent. A wide bed took most of the space and in its fluffed sheets slept Harry Hart on his stomach, one of his arms was hanging from the bedpost and another he used as a pillow. His hair was a mess, wild, dark curls so untypically untamed it gave Eggsy a pause to stare for a moment, captivated. He was sleeping quietly, but apparently deeply, since he didn’t stir even when Eggsy approached the bed and peeked at him almost curiously. He seemed peaceful, but at the same time still very tired, like he was up until late and couldn’t really cope with waking up right now.

Eggsy studied his face for a moment, morbidly inquisitive, tracing his brows, down the sharp jaw and slightly parted lips, and then back up to the mess of his hair, until his eyes stopped at a small, barely visible scar on his left temple. If he wasn’t so invested, he would probably overlook it – he definitely hadn’t noticed before – but now it was there, a little threatening reminder of something no doubt painful. Eggsy found himself drawn to it, his fingers suddenly touching it with bated breath, until Harry’s form shifted under the contact and Eggsy jerked away with wildly beating heart, immediately searching if he woke up.

The last thing he wanted was Harry thinking of him as a creep who is staring at him while he had been sleeping. It was enough that he had the idiotic urge to curl next to him and sleep some more because it looked _comfy_ and because Harry was _warm_ and because, apparently, his brain just didn’t work today. Or just decided to go offline every time Harry was in the close vicinity.

The reason why eluded him though – logically, this guy was like… twice his age _at least_. And even if he hadn’t been, he was so far out of reach Eggsy could live on the other side of the universe and it would be basically the same thing.

Ridiculous, hilarious, impossible.

Eggsy took a deep breath and retreated several steps from the bed, watching how Harry tossed around and then found comfortable position again on his right side, breathed out softly and continued his peaceful slumber.

_I’d kill for a drink now._

***

“You’re up early.”

“You sleep like dead,” Eggsy shot back without flinching – he heard the door opening and Harry coming down the stars right away, so now he just waited with a cup of coffee in hand he cheekily stole from the cupboard.

“Went to sleep late,” his boss admitted and entered Eggsy’s field of vision – he was in a red gown, hair still messy like he didn’t mind Eggsy saw him this _vulnerable_ , and it made the boy’s throat tighten a little with something he couldn’t name.

“But you fell asleep in like what, a second? When I got back with the shirt, you were out cold,” Harry continued while he rummaged through the cabinet and started making himself tea.

“Yeah, seems I couldn’t hold it anymore,” the blond answered quietly, suddenly a bit too conscious that he, in fact, had been wearing Harry’s shirt, and the man’s eyes lingered on it several times like he was checking, and Eggsy didn’t know what to do.

“You think we can stop at my house, so I can change, maybe?” he tried once Harry came to the table and sat down next to him, completely relaxed. Eggsy was tense like a string, how was that guy doing that?

“No,” the CEO refused nonchalantly. “Definitely not at your place.”

“Harsh,” Eggsy stared at him with a frown. “So am I going naked? That’s your plan? Or just in your shirt, so we can make this situation worth some gossip? I’d borrow some of your famous tie though; it would make a better impression if they recognized it.”

“Oh, Eggsy,” Harry chuckled, and his voice was still sort of raspy from the sleep, and it was doing weird things to Eggsy’s heart when it shouldn’t. “You never cease to amuse me, for real.”

“Your plan-making is worth it,” Eggsy uttered and stubbornly hypnotized his mug to keep his head out of the gutter.

“We still have time,” Harry pointed out gently and Eggsy heard him sip and breathe out a little, like it was what he needed in the morning. “We will go buy a suit for you.”

“No,” the boy immediately refused and even spared a glance at the older man. “No and no.”

“Is it some personal defiance against wearing it, or is there something else on your mind?” Harry tilted his head to the side, his eyes curious. “Because I recall you telling me I should buy you a suit, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Another no,” Eggsy pointed at him threateningly. “I’m not going to let _anyone_ buy me stuff, ye?”

“Then you can buy it yourself,” Harry shrugged like it was no big deal. “You have to understand your current position. You’re my PA, you work for the Kingsman, and there is a strict dress code. As much as I had been benevolent to your clothes choice before, King won’t be as merciful. A dress code is as important as manners in the company. Not to mention you are still wearing your jeans.”

“I can tell them we fucked so roughly you tore my good clothes and this is what I have left,” Eggsy suggested and Harry sputtered his tea around with a violent coughing.

_Well, a score at least._

“You and your potty mouth,” his boss glared at him after another set of coughing and Eggsy was bold enough to put on a smug smile. The glare intensified, but it suited him anyway.

“You like it,” he teased him with a smirk and wasn’t even surprised when Harry stood up with a sharp inhale and retreated to the kitchen sink.

Eggsy considered it a success.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Suits shoping next! Hopefully. If Eggsy won't run away - that's also a possibility :D


	18. A Suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “One go only, Harry,” Eggsy called at him with an annoyed expression when the measuring took too long, and Harry could see the impatience shining on miles away, frustrating the clerk as well.  
> “Don’t be a child,” the CEO reprimanded him with arms crossed on his chest. “Do you want the suit to fit or not?”  
> “I don’t want a suit.”  
> “Tough luck,” Harry closed the debate uncompromisingly and Eggsy barked out an involuntary laugh, immediately stopping himself, but it made Harry smirk anyway.

“Please, don’t do this to me.”

Harry stopped immediately and turned around to see his blond companion standing grudgingly in between the door to the shop, his face full of disdain. It made Harry smirk and beckon him closer anyway – _buying_ a suit was a minor thing. He didn’t tell him a tailored one would be a lot better, since his reaction would probably be explosive.

They argued over it the whole way from Harry’s house, and making Eggsy to finally say yes to it was an ordeal. There were so many buts and excuses he should have written some down and then publish a book and make a fortune.

“Eggsy, just one suit,” he comforted the boy softly, probably for the fifth time in a row. “You’ll see it’s going to feel great.”

“A suit, feeling great?” Eggsy watched him doubtfully and Harry wondered how exactly explain to him that a nicely fitting suit was a comfortable thing to wear. He always appreciated something that fitted him like a glove, was sharp and made him a little more serious looking. With suit he always felt a bit more powerful, a little stronger and, in the end, able to remain cold and professional even under the pressure. It was working like a charm for him.

“I think we have a bit different views on that,” the blond piped like he read his mind and fidgeted on the spot, as if he was afraid entering this place would change him forever.

 _It’s just a suit_ , Harry wanted to say. _It won’t make you think differently_.

“Let me pick you one,” Harry offered and noticed in the corner of his eye how a shop clerk made a way to them, all shiny eyes and learned smiles, ready to do his job. “If it won’t be good, you wear it just today to the meeting to show King you belong through and through, and then you can go back to the previous choices and hide it in a closet forever, what do you say?”

Eggsy watched him for a moment like he was trying to find out if Harry was lying or not, and it was funny how big issue he was able to make out of one piece of garment. Harry couldn’t help but wonder if there was something personal that could have happened that the boy had been so reluctant.

“Fine,” the blond mumbled and finally stepped inside of the place, just in time the clerk greeted them with a polite expression. “But I’m not spending here more time than I would in a normal shop.”

Harry didn’t hide the smile and decided to take all the basic decisions to himself, rather than leaving Eggsy to pick something he had no idea what it was meant for – and judging by the looks the boy gave the tuxedo section he was doing the right thing.

***

“I think striped pattern would be a good choice for the young man’s build,” the clerk pointed at the Saint Lauren section and Harry checked the style of the showed suit and his mind immediately made a nice, fitting picture of the boy wearing this – it was _perfect_. He always liked fabrics that weren’t dully one-coloured, even though he alone wore them for most of the time, to fit right in the company. Having this on Eggsy sounded like a brilliant idea though – and not just to show the Board the boy was _special_.

“What, like a sodding sailor?” he heard the blond grumble behind him and the clerk stammered to halt and gave Harry rather confused look. He probably hadn’t been used to customers that weren’t happy to be here like Eggsy made it look, and Harry understood.

“How about you try it first and swear later?” the CEO suggested calmly, trying to ignore the look the young man helping them choose the attire was sporting, and pointed at the blond. “I believe his size is almost exemplary. Might be tighter around shoulders.”

“My shoulders are fine,” Eggsy uttered again.

“Very fine, now please, let the young man take your measures,” Harry gestured towards the clerk smoothly and Eggsy scowled, but did what he was told, which Harry considered a small victory. He didn’t miss the wondering expression the young shop assistant had when Eggsy walked towards him, but didn’t think it was important to elaborate.

He really should cut out those double meaning remarks when he was around the boy while other people were present. He felt like he wouldn’t able to hold back all the time, but creating the aura of them being involved and feeding it to an audience wasn’t the best approach for either of them.

He watched Eggsy turning around and stretch his limbs and for some reason couldn’t shake off that weird, pleased feeling of seeing him in _his_ shirt, clinging to his body comfortably, even though it was a bit bigger on him. He was annoyingly possessive, he realized that, but that notion remained nevertheless. Just the simple fact Eggsy decided to wear it after all instead of his shirt had been a charming experience, and when Harry saw him in it in the morning, it swelled in his chest like an expanding balloon, threatening to explode.

“One go only, Harry,” Eggsy called at him with an annoyed expression when the measuring took too long, and Harry could see the impatience shining on miles away, frustrating the clerk as well.

“Don’t be a child,” the CEO reprimanded him with arms crossed on his chest. “Do you want the suit to fit or not?”

“I don’t want a suit.”

“Tough luck,” Harry closed the debate uncompromisingly and Eggsy barked out an involuntary laugh, immediately stopping himself, but it made Harry smirk anyway.

The clerk ended the measuring two minutes later and disappeared in the back, leaving the two of them alone. Eggsy reminded him of a petulant child his parents took out shopping and he hated that, and that vision made him amused, especially when Eggsy started to pout to show him he didn’t enjoy it in a slightest.

“Stop smiling,” the boy pointed at him with a frown. “This is ridiculous.”

“I believe this is quite normal when a person needs a suit,” the CEO shrugged, but it didn’t change anything in Eggsy’s expression. “The striped one would look good, you’ll see.”

“Can’t I just get one of those dark ones?” Eggsy pointed at the tuxedo section with a long, suffering sigh and Harry chuckled.

“If you plan on going to the theatre in it, by all means,” he informed him. “That’s a tuxedo.”

“Everything looks the same to me,” the blond huffed and turned around just when the clerk returned with the suit, making the boy cringe immediately, but he followed the man to the changing room anyway.

***

Seven minutes passed and Harry wondered if Eggsy hadn’t killed the poor soul there out of spite, even though it had been eerily quiet all the time. Harry lost patience somewhere around the tenth minute and moved towards the cabin, but at the same time the door opened and Eggsy shuffled out, looking like somebody cancelled Christmas.

“For real?” he glanced at Harry a little accusingly, but the CEO had no words for a moment. The suit wasn’t tailored, yet it fitted perfectly, all the right curves and the length of the cuffs, small details at pockets, all the way down to his shoes. Suddenly Eggsy’s legs were longer, his back straighter, shoulders perfectly wide and the only thing missing had been a proper tie.

“I think it’s a great fit,” the clerk appeared as well and he looked slightly intimidated, so Harry was pretty sure Eggsy hadn’t been a very quiet customer. “Even in the back-,”

“Ah, right, turn around,” Harry motioned the boy to move and Eggsy glared. “Stop glaring, I need to see.”

“You just want to ogle my ass,” the blond shot at him no doubt in revenge, but Harry just waved his hand and nodded meaningfully for him to fulfil his order at once. Eggsy did, eventually, circling like a duck on spot and Harry hummed in appreciation.

It was _brilliant_. The trousers were a perfect length and the material was clinging nicely to the right parts of Eggsy’s body. Strong thighs, a firm backside – definitely something a nice suit was always making even prettier – and wide back where the fabric hadn’t pulled unpleasantly no matter how much Eggsy moved his arms.

“Can you sit in it? Crouch? Put your hands up and forward,” he instructed him next and there was the apparent defiance in the blond’s eyes when he looked back at the CEO, visibly refusing to play along.

“He can,” the clerk quickly supplied, apparently asking him for it in the cabin, which would explain Eggsy’s evident annoyance when he exited the place.

“So it fits you,” Harry concluded smugly, because hey, he had the right, he _told him_ a suit is a nice thing when it fits well. Even though Eggsy was looking like he wanted murder somebody by the power of his stare. “You should pick a tie as well.”

“Just so you know, this shite costs more than should be legal,” the blond passed him with a grumble, aiming at the tie section. “Who’s sane enough to pay such money for it?”

“Chester King, I’m sure,” Harry followed him with a smile on his lips, scanning every inch of the suit with a pleased hum. It was really making Eggsy’s bottom nice to look at. “The company gladly covers the expanses.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“That’s what dress code is about,” the CEO shrugged and watched Eggsy looking around, until the boy stopped at a dark blue striped tie and grabbed it.

“This okay?” he showed it to his companion and Harry nodded in appreciation and opened his palm. Eggsy gave him the tie with a confused blink, but realized what was going on when Harry reached for his collar and circled his neck with the fabric.

“I assume you are not very good at tying a knot,” he elaborated when Eggsy remained silent, but his eyes were fully focused at Harry’s face, like he was searching for something. It was sort of a curious stare, analysing, and Harry found out he didn’t mind it at all. The boy had a captivating shade of irises, sort of green and blue, and Harry forced himself to focus on the tie instead or he would probably stare a bit too long, just to clarify which colour was the dominant one.

“What do you think,” Eggsy mumbled in an answer, but it was quiet, almost private. It made Harry smile while he was working on the tie languidly. “Not that this is helping me anyhow.”

“I’ll show you later,” the CEO promised him, his nimble fingers did a fast job on the tie, tucking it neatly under the jacket and smoothing the collar back down. “We don’t have much time anymore.”

“If I didn’t need to do a fucking gymnastic assembly in the cabin, it would be faster,” the blond growled towards the clerk’s location, and Harry forced down the laughter and patted the boy on his shoulder.

“All good now,” he assured him and moved towards the counter. The clerk looked rather ruffled, but when he got paid, his expression cleared up again, wished them a pleasant day and even smiled. Harry was sure he hoped they were never going to stop by during his shift ever again.

***

“Wow.”

“Please, don’t say anything,” Eggsy raised his hand when Roxy opened her mouth, and she stopped in her tracks, but her wide eyes stayed. She must have been waiting in their office for some time, since she was sitting on the couch and she had rarely done that when she just stopped by.

“This penguin fashion is the worst thing that could ever happened to me,” Eggsy repeated his unhappy phrase again and Harry had to laugh quietly – he heard it about three times during their drive to the company, and it was usually coloured by a nasty word, so this version had been reasonably nice.

“I think you’re looking sharp?” she offered and smiled at Harry, like she knew it was his doing. “I mean, a suit is a good thing in here. And this one is really nice as well.”

“Ye, you’re saying that cuz you know it’s his work,” the blond pointed at Harry with a frown and Roxy chuckled and shook her head.

“I mean it really suits you, that’s all,” she assured him easily, picked up a stack of papers lying next to her on the couch and stood up. Harry found himself following her movement like a predator, calculating her every move she did when she approached his assistant. Starting with the swing of her hips on the way, to the seemingly innocent _let me fix this for you_ touch on his tie, and Harry watched it silently with a growing uneasiness inside of him. And when Eggsy laughed, took the papers and fixed the loose strand of her hair, it dawned on Harry with a deadly accuracy all at once.

 _Ah,_ he thought a little bitterly. _I’m jealous_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Nothing suits me like a suit~  
> Oh Harry, you precious soul.


	19. Moody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Maybe he was just nervous? The Board’s meeting is a big thing,” she suggested thoughtfully. “I mean, he had his days even before, just… not really talking, like he didn’t have the mood.”  
> “You think he’s just moody?” he glanced at her questioningly and she scrunched her nose.  
> “I believe he kind of is, actually,” she said a little quieter, like it was a secret. “I mean, he’s really super polite, but not always talkative, except of work matters. I mean, he is, but… Not as much. A joke here, a jab there, but as far as I recall he usually kept it very professional.”

“Somethin’ is wrong?”

Harry glanced up, but the convulsive grip he had on his pen while signing the last of the documents Merlin left him there didn’t ease off. He seemed agitated at the best since he sat down at his table and Eggsy wondered if he encountered a work related problem, or he couldn’t find something in the newly made piles of papers Eggsy made during the previous night.

“No?” the man answered, but Eggsy heard that quiet _maybe_ in his voice, and it made him sit at the edge of the table, ready to interrogate him.

“I can tell, you know,” he reminded him, and for some reason he could already, like Harry’s moods became easier to read somehow. “Are you nervous cuz of the Board? Thought it’s just me.”

“The Board is an unpleasant addition, I admit,” his boss hummed and looked back down to his work. “But no, not really.”

“I’ve put all the materials there,” the blond pointed at the further pile at the right corner of the desk, just to make sure Harry noticed.

“Thank you.”

“Stop being so grumpy,” Eggsy tapped on the table to get his attention again. “You made me wear this monstrosity, you should be happy!”

“Roxy left already?” Harry ignored the notion completely and the blond blinked and let out a tiny shrug.

“Ye, she just needed some signing to do,” he elaborated easily and when Harry gave him a long look, he snorted. “I’ve _read it_ all. Don’t worry.”

“Okay then,” the CEO nodded and finished the signing in a fast move. His signature looked weird though, a little too sharp, like he was barely concentrating, and Eggsy was pretty sure he _was_ nervous after all. King was going to be there and it was Eggsy’s debut as well, so even Harry’s head was at stake right now.

“Hey, I’ve went through the materials like… ten times yesterday,” he assured him with a smile, leaning closer to him. “I know them almost word for word. If there would be anything unclear, I’m sure I can support ya, yeah?”

“I appreciate it,” his boss commented dryly, and Eggsy didn’t like the tone. There was something more to it and he couldn’t think of anything – except of all that happened since yesterday until now was making Harry grumpy, so maybe Eggsy just didn’t thank him enough, or he expected something in return. Or there was a barrier he wanted to put between them because he realized having Eggsy clinging to him was bad and he didn’t like it.

Not that Eggsy clung to him.

Well, he sort of did, probably. It was just the fact Harry had been so helpful and nice he let his guard down, even though he should have known people weren’t nice without an ulterior motive.

“Have I done something?” he decided to ask rather than assume, and Harry visibly tensed.

“No?” he gave the boy a strange look, but Eggsy held his ground.

“You’re kinda cold now,” he explained his reason. “You haven’t been in the morning. So have I done something that made you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you,” Harry now openly stared at him, a little dumbfounded it seemed, and then let out a sigh. “It’s not… you did _nothing_ wrong, Eggsy, rest assured.”

“So what’s eating ya?”

“You’re too perceptive for your own good,” the CEO put down the pen and pinched the bridge of his nose, like something was bothering him, but he was too ashamed to say it out loud. It piqued Eggsy’s curiosity even more, but pressuring the guy never brought anything good, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Not tellin’ then,” the boy concluded when Harry remained silent, and the CEO nodded quietly and put the last list away.

“But I assure you, it’s nothing _you_ have done, alright?” he added a little hastily and Eggsy wondered if it was because he made a face at that and Harry noticed. “I’m actually quite proud of you right now, all confident _and_ in a suit.”

“Yeah… sure,” Eggsy mumbled and hopped down off the table. “The meeting starts in half an hour. I’ll check if everything is in order.”

“Eggsy…”

“Half an hour,” Eggsy reminded him quickly and before Harry could say anything else, he slinked out of the office like a rat.

***

“Say what?”

“I dunno,” Eggsy shrugged and wiggled with his cup like it could give him an answer. It looked blander than black, but at least it gave him something to do, rather than staring at Roxy. The gal sipped her tea quietly until she heard the whole thing, and now her face morphed into a genuine confusion. She reminded him of a movie star today, in long, airy trousers and a tight shirt, with big jewel decorating her bare neck, all in white. Her hair was loosely falling around her face and it was a so different than what he had been used to, that in the morning, when he first saw her, he had a hard time to comprehend it was really his Roxy and not a model that accidentally ended up in Harry’s office.

“He was just so mopey, suddenly,” he continued with a sigh, and was really glad nobody was with them in the small kitchen near Roxy’s office. Talking about his boss this way was probably not very professional. Too bad Roxy’s place didn’t have a coffee machine. “It was fine in the morning, but then he sat down and it was like somebody left him a death note on the table.”

“Maybe he was just nervous? The Board’s meeting is a big thing,” she suggested thoughtfully. “I mean, he had his days even before, just… not really talking, like he didn’t have the mood.”

“You think he’s just moody?” he glanced at her questioningly and she scrunched her nose.

“I believe he kind of is, actually,” she said a little quieter, like it was a secret. “I mean, he’s really super polite, but not always talkative, except of work matters. I mean, he is, but… Not as much. A joke here, a jab there, but as far as I recall he usually kept it very professional.”

“Oh,” Eggsy blinked and the coffee just got too bitter to drink. He got a different vibe during these past few days – Harry had been talkative, funny and caring, and it gave Eggsy probably a bit too much hope. Having this cold shower of them being colleagues and not friends, or whatever they established during yesterday, and having Harry to set back up the _professional_ barrier now felt a little acrid.

“Seriously, don’t take it personally or anything,” she assured him, probably because he made a weird face, and patted him on a shoulder. “It’s just one of his quirks. He takes work seriously; he might have just tried to separate the personal level and the working one, if you catch my drift?”

“Ye,” Eggsy hummed and returned back to staring into his cup. “Guess I read a bit too much into it.”

“Don’t worry,” she winked at him. “Just let him _mope_ for a while. He’ll be fine later on. Not to-,”

“Oh, sorry,” another voice interrupted her and Eggsy shuffled to the side to make a space. It took him several seconds before he realized it had been Charlie who barged in to the coffee maker and started to brew another drink without paying them that much attention. He noticed Roxy making a face at him behind Charlie’s back and it made him chuckle.

“Got invited to the meeting, Morton?” Charlie ignored him completely and eyed the girl instead, probably liking what he saw. Well, Eggsy didn’t really blame him, but the urge to make him spill the coffee on his shirt grew a bit stronger.

“No, _Hesketh_ , it’s the _Board’s_ meeting after all,” she answered sharply and it made Charlie smirk while he was pouring himself a cup of black.

“Too bad,” he added like he just won a lottery. “If you stayed Hart’s lapdog, he would take you there instead of that little rent boy.”

Eggsy mouthed _wow_ at her, but didn’t comment on it – Charlie didn’t look like he realized it was him who stood there with them, and quite frankly it wasn’t anything weird with his zero interest in other people.

“Oh?” she voiced with a raised eyebrow. “A rent boy you say?”

“Well, what do you think?” the young man snorted and sipped his drink loudly – Eggsy just rolled his eyes at the girl. “No proper education, no experience, he’s just a lil cocksucker, I assure you.”

“Oh yeah, I heard them going at it yesterday in the copy room,” Eggsy chimed in with his posh accent, while Roxy looked like the hell just got loose, all horrified. “He’s his type after all.”

“See!” Charlie glanced at Eggsy briefly and then back at Roxy, completely oblivious. “I knew it! It’s-“ He stopped dead in his tracks and then looked back at Eggsy a bit too slowly, like he saw a ghost before and now he was afraid to confirm it.

“S’up, fuckface,” Eggsy grinned at him with crossed arms on his chest, and Charlie’s face went through several expressions, starting with utter disbelief, morphing into a breaking surprise, until he ended up with a scorn worth an award. Eggsy noticed how he scanned his suit before returning to his face, and apparently couldn’t really add one and one together.

“Fuck you, Unwin,” he spitted out in the end, probably too desperate for a better comeback, getting caught red handed like this, and stomped out of the kitchen without another word.

Eggsy considered the score evened.

“A rent boy?” Roxy repeated the phrase with a little choke and Eggsy offered a small smile.

“Maybe Harry just really likes my arse.”

“My god,” she hid her face in her hands and Eggsy drowned his laughter in his coffee, bubbling away.

***

“Oh, sorry, I thought no one would be here yet.”

A tall, black haired woman immediately seized him in a cold, calculating stare from behind the table where she was standing. She was probably the most intense-looking person Eggsy had ever met in his life, and he couldn’t really put a finger on the reason. Her long, dark strands were loosely falling around a sharply cut face, dark eyes watching him from under black eyelashes and perfect wing liner, and he would almost say she was sneering for a second, before her expression cleared up like a sky after a storm and she suddenly looked almost friendly.

“My apologies,” she bowed her head a little and her voice was sound, and firm. “I’ve expected another person, didn’t mean to glare at you.”

“I’m used to it,” he shrugged at the sad truth and she quickly looked him over like she was trying to find why. “I believe we haven’t met yet?”

“Call me Gazelle,” she offered and Eggsy automatically extended his hand to greet her, almost surprising himself with such reflex he rarely got before. The suit must have gotten the best of him.

“Call me Eggsy then,” he replied with his nickname easily, like she earned it, and it made the woman stop for a moment, and then smile lightly.

“Very unique name,” she commented and came a little closer. An unusual clicking sounded through the room and Eggsy glanced quickly down just to realize both of her legs were prosthetics, but she moved like she just wore heels. He ordered his expression to stay passive and squeezed her hand gently.

“It’s a nickname, actually, but I prefer it,” he elaborated and her smile grew a little warmer, like his reaction pleased her. “Mind if I check it here for a bit?

“Not at all,” she flung her hair over her shoulder and returned to her previous position behind the table, where several papers were neatly piled up and she was apparently going through them. “If you don’t mind me staying here for a bit.”

“Fine by me,” he grinned at her and circled the desk on the opposite side than she stood, right to Harry’s spot. She was probably an assistant of one of the Directors, and he had to say she was definitely a very flashy one.

Documents were already lying prepared there, at least the ones Eggsy didn’t need to bring by himself, and most of them were familiar anyway. Even the ones from Valentine Corporation he went through so many times during the previous night, and that was going to play a main role in here, or at least a major one. He quickly looked through it until his eyes found a different percentage than he remembered.

“No… this is…” he blinked, browsed several more pages and came across another different set of numbers.

“Something the matter?” Gazelle asked from the other side and Eggsy glanced at her and then back to the papers.

“It’s _wrong_ ,” he mumbled, frowning. “The numbers are different.”

“Different from what?”

A clicking sound again and then she stood right next to him, peering over his shoulder.

“We got those two days ago, why would they be different now?” he said, more to himself than to her, and then quickly glanced at his watch. There was only ten minutes left to the meeting, but he couldn’t leave it here like that. “Fuck, I gotta run.”

Gazelle only hummed, and to be frank, he didn’t really wait for her reaction anyway. If those papers were wrong, the whole report was bad as well.

That could screw them over a big time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Way to go, Harry, way to go. Also, suck it up, Charlie!  
> And yay, Gazelle! :D


	20. Blind Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s enough!” King barked at her and it finally eluded a change in her expression – she frowned and her eyes darkened, like this behaviour was unacceptable for her. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you where you are currently sitting.”  
> “On a rather uncomfortable chair, to be quite frank with you,” Valentine shot back without an ounce of shame and King’s eyes got fiery.

Harry forced himself to remain calm and kept his expression as neutral as he could. The meeting started, everyone had been present – except his assistant. The prospects were prepared, everything more or less in order, but Eggsy was nowhere to be found, and he could see how King was waiting for him to admit he had no idea _where_ his PA could be.

It was Eggsy alone who warned him about the time left for the meeting, and suddenly he was not here? Harry couldn’t stop himself from blaming it on his morning behaviour where he hadn’t managed it well _at all_ , basically grouching like an idiot, pulling the _I’m offended_ card at the poor boy who didn’t have a single idea what was going on – and really, he couldn’t, Harry didn’t have the right to expect he could. But here he was, failing himself once more, even after all those therapy sessions he had gone through to stop the insecurity seizing him, or basically any other negative emotion that could push him back to the point of no return, being jealous over a simple fact that his PA talked to his ex-PA.

“I assume your assistant is not going to join us after all, Harry?” King’s voice interrupted him from his thoughts like a spear and Harry couldn’t stop the flinch. “Shall we start then?”

He was aware of Hesketh’s smug smile and King’s challenging stare, and couldn’t overlook how Merlin’s eyes darkened as well, and yeah, there it was, his own fault of making the boy leave him here alone, surrounded by sharks and whales and some ancient excavations.

And Valentine, on top of that.

The dark-skinned man in colourful outfit was sitting at the opposite side of the table, watching Harry expectantly, and Harry found himself unable to tell what he was thinking about it all. Not to mention the stare his black-haired assistant was giving him didn’t help at all – she reminded him of a vulture that was watching its prey, ready to attack once it shows its weakness. He knew her from before, most of the dealings were with her after all, but having her so close now had a dangerous aura filling the room to the brink. If Harry was thinking in abstract terms, he would say Valentine was a bearer and she was his sword, ready to behead them all.

The bad thing was – they had the power to do that. They actually could make this so messy that Kingman _could_ hiccup unpleasantly and consequences no one wanted would follow.  

“Let’s start,” Harry agreed as calmly as he could and reached for the papers lying on the pile in front of him. His throat was a little dry and unpleasantly closed, like talking now would be a hardship, and the fact he didn’t need to actually lead this thing was a relief when King opened the main topic by himself.

“The fusion is basically only a formality now,” he heard Chester saying while he was dumbly staring into the papers. His head hurt a bit, a weird pressure expanding in his chest the longer he sat there, and his thoughts wandered chaotically towards his lost PA like they were guided to him like a missile. He should have been able to suppress unwanted emotions inside of him – and yet it just bubbled outside, affecting not just his own mood, but the boy’s as well. He didn’t mean to make him feel like it was something _he_ did, since it was all in Harry’s head, but he wasn’t able, no, he wasn’t willing probably, to explain the real reason to him either.

 _Jealousy._ He didn’t feel that for so long he almost forgot how bitterly it tasted like. How unreasonably grouchy it made him, especially when he realized he had been feeling that towards a young couple of people he had no claim to. Eggsy was a little wild and very vital and Roxy would be one of the best choices he could make – the girl was clever, loyal and entertaining. He grew to like her during her work as his PA - on a professional level. She had always been very polite towards him, maybe a little bashful when it came to the personal interaction – and that was what made Eggsy so special. The boy _knew_ he was working for Harry and in what position, yet he always took him as equal. He talked openly, vividly and without shame he sometimes needed, and that made Harry intrigued, like it or not. His energy, his way of talking, his movement – everything was capturing Harry’s attention, and once he started thinking of it more, he realized he definitely _fancied_ the boy in a _romantic_ way. Not only because he presented something new and fresh in this company, but because he was so… _him_ , so intuitive and damn clever, and, Harry wouldn’t lie, attractive as hell.

And well. Also not present right now.

Harry slowly realized Valentine had been talking now, his voice heavily affected by lisp, and almost choked when he noticed his assistant was openly staring at him, like she knew he hadn’t been paying an ounce of attention towards the whole meeting. When their eyes met, she smirked and glanced back at her companion, leaving Harry a little at loss.

“As far as I’m concerned, your company is-,”

Valentine’s speech had been interrupted by a sharp knock and everyone focused at the door where Eggsy appeared a little out of breath and flushed, and also a quite startled, probably overwhelmed by the number of present people. Harry wouldn’t really blame him if the situation didn’t look like he just had a quick make-out session somewhere.

He frowned at the boy, immediately gesturing him to sit down next to him, and Eggsy stuttered an apology for being late and interrupting them. He walked to Harry’s side, where he promptly sat down and took a deep breath.

Harry wanted to ask him where the hell he had been, but the silence that dragged around them, where probably everyone waited for the blond to explain his absence stopped him, so he just eyed him unhappily.

Eggsy put several papers on the table, then froze for a moment when he noticed Valentine and his assistant watching him, made a strange face at the woman, and Harry was very close to losing it. He saw Chester taking a breath to demand an explanation, but then Eggsy cleared his throat.

“Again, sorry for being late,” he said in his perfect accent Harry always found curious and made the pile he brought nicer to look at. “But it didn’t escape my attention the contract we got two days ago, and the one that came this morning had different percentage value.”

“Excuse me?” King apparently swallowed the accusation for the late arrival and asked with a calmer mask instead. “What different percentage value?”

“The report we got for today’s meeting from the Valentine’s Corporation two days ago had the fusion data that included the estimated share of the profit of 7,8%, but the one that came today increased this value to 17,8%,” Eggsy explained, presenting him two copies of the same document with highlighted numbers. “And it wasn’t just this, the numbers were different through the whole contract. Ten percent here, five there.”

“That’s impossible,” King frowned, taking the papers to himself. His eyes skimmed through the pages quickly and Harry could see how his face morphed to a shocked one in seconds.

A different value? But why would even Valentine do that? Sabotaging the whole fusion with it? Or maybe he expected them not to notice?

He glanced at the duo sitting on their places in an eerie calm, both only watching the scene unfolding like it didn’t even included them anyhow, and Harry couldn’t shake the bad feeling from it.

“I’ve double checked and we dealt with it in the Financial department with Percival,” Eggsy continued. “The contracts are identical otherwise, except of the small changes in the percentage.”

“Mr. Valentine,” King looked at the quiet man like he was ready to deliver a judgment that included his execution, and Valentine glanced at his assistant with raised eyebrows, as if it was her who got called out.

“Eggsy, was it?” she ignored King completely and focused at the blond boy, and Eggsy nodded curtly, his expression wary. “Congratulations then. You’re the _only_ one that noticed. And here I thought the company is full of blind sheep.”

The present men started to grumble as expected, but Eggsy remained quiet, his eyes narrowed in dangerous slits, and if Harry didn’t consider this whole situation absolutely out of hand, he would admit Eggsy stepped up his game and evened the score in looking equally dangerous as she did.

“Intentional then?” Harry asked instead of him when the silence stretched around them once more, and Valentine’s assistant smirked again. Their confidence was almost physically palpable and Harry wondered how they could even pull this on the Kingsman – on King of all people – and be able to get away with it.

“Touché,” she gestured vaguely. “Consider it a test. We wouldn’t press the signing though, if you’re ought to accusing us from cheating or lying to you. We were merely curious of the awareness.”

“I was actually ready to give up on you,” Valentine finally spoke up, his voice low like he got very bored through the meeting. “Since you apparently don’t even pay enough attention to what you’re signing. We choose our partners _very_ _carefully_.”

“You’re sharp though,” the black haired woman focused back at Eggsy, almost appraisingly and it made Harry a little confused. She seemed like they had met before, but where? Not to mention she knew his nickname and promptly called him by it. “And honest as well. It’s definitely a plus point. Valentine Corporation welcomes people like you.”

“Are you trying to steal the CEO’s PA, on top all this you’ve pulled on us?” Merlin’s voice pierced the veil of superiority the duo maintained and Harry blinked and looked at the Scottish man, like he completely forgot he was present as well. There was an evident anger in his face and Harry considered it an attempt to defend the boy, which was unexpected.

“Yes,” she simply stated like it was completely normal, and Harry raised an eyebrow at the blatant honesty. Taking Eggsy from him? No way. “Since he’s apparently the only competent person around this place.”

“That’s enough!” King barked at her and it finally eluded a change in her expression – she frowned and her eyes darkened, like this behaviour was unacceptable for her. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you _where_ you are currently sitting.”

“On a rather uncomfortable chair, to be quite frank with you,” Valentine shot back without an ounce of shame and King’s eyes got fiery.

“The fusion is _over_ ,” he told them all growly and Harry wasn’t even surprised. He straightened in his chair to bring a bit more seriousness into the situation, and Eggsy next to him perked up as well.

“Your deceitful acts are not something we welcome in our company, and you can pretend not meaning it as long as you want – you did it once, you broke the trust,” Chester closed the file with the contract dramatically and stood up, so he could throw it on the table in front of Valentine with the desired effect. “Do you need security to escort you or will you see yourself out on your own?”

“I have trouble understanding you people sometimes. You all talk so funny,” Valentine chuckled and stood up as well. He didn’t seem affected at all – maybe even looking like he expected it – and gave Eggsy a long stare. “The offer stands, boyo. You don’t seem like you want to remain caged with bureaucrats all your life.”

Eggsy snorted, but didn’t say anything back, and Harry was grateful for it, even though he wasn’t able to come up with anything to say either. The whole meeting made him almost mute, just watching, taken back by the proceedings, but not even shocked enough to deal with it the way King did.

A click of the door alerted him the two left the room and Chester growled like a mad dog.

”Preposterous,” the chairman uttered in a disgusted tone. “I can’t believe they were able to get this _far_!”

“Not paying attention to what we are signing, huh,” Merlin added, and there was bitterness in his smile when he was looking at Eggsy. “How did you even notice that?”

“I’ve went through the contract so many times yesterday I remember it pretty clearly,” the blond explained with a shrug. “So I saw it when I went through the new papers before the meeting.”

“I believe he just saved us from possible money leak,” the HRD glanced at still standing King and clicked his pen he was holding. “Still not satisfied with Harry’s choices?”

“Mr. Unwin definitely proved himself,” Chester agreed and it was surprisingly sincere, even Eggsy fidgeted rather uncomfortably in his chair. “But let us get back to task at hand. I’ll deal with the rest later.”

Harry hummed and caught Eggsy’s gaze, offering a small smile. It was the least he could do after the messed up morning he provided. It took the blond a second, but then he tentatively smiled back and his body relaxed.

“Good job,” he whispered towards the boy and grew bold enough to actually touch his shoulder to praise him somehow.

It was hell that the blond leaned back into the touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Eggsy to the rescue! (sorry for delay!)


	21. Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Crooked tie,” he commented with a chuckle and Eggsy glanced at his reflection to the mirror, frowning at it. His tie was rather askew, alright. “I haven’t taught you how to tie a knot, have I?”  
> “No, you liar,” Eggsy glared at him to make him stop grinning, but it didn’t work. “I had to pull it over my head and – stop laughing!”  
> “Sorry, sorry,” the CEO didn’t even try to look more dignified, and then gestured towards the boy. “Come here.”

“Not grumpy anymore today?”

Eggsy waited patiently until Harry lifted his head from the focused writing and blinked at him in confusion. It took him about five seconds before his eyes cleared up and an apparent understanding dawned on him, since his lips lifted in a smile.

“Yes, not grumpy anymore,” he agreed lightly, but there was an apologetic undertone in it, and even though Eggsy got an apology for it yesterday, this confirmation made him a little surer. The amends were rather surprising since he considered Harry’s colder approach a final precaution to separate their professional life from the personal, so when he asked him for a little talk after the Board’s meeting, Eggsy didn’t expect him to hear _sorry_ from him. _A bad mood_ , he said, _unprofessional to take it out on you like that_. And Eggsy took it, quite relieved actually, and resumed their normal talk as always.

People were allowed to have bad moods. Hell, he was master of mopey attitude when his mood dropped to zero. He understood.

“Great,” the blond grinned at him and put a cup with steaming coffee in front of the man. He grabbed it before he went to work, just the way his boss liked it, and found himself waiting for the pleased smile like for his bounty. “Your reward.”

Harry chuckled, nodding appraisingly and Eggsy took it as a permission to take his place at the edge of the desk, sitting there in his stupid suit he actually grew to like, somehow. It just took him a bit before to get used to it enough to stop noticing how it clung to his body a bit too firmly.

The suit itself earned him an earful at home – Dean didn’t let his stupid remarks go unnoticed, naturally (he tried not to listen to Dean’s _your sugar daddy bought you something nice for a change?_ Because he would have to go and break his nose in the best outcome). His mum liked it though, and even though they both acted like nothing happened the day before, he could tell she was trying to make it up to him by being super nice, even casually asking if he worked late yesterday, trying to find out where he actually spent the night. He didn’t react as much; he just played with Daisy for a bit and spent the rest of the day in his room.

“You got a calmer day at home, I assume?” Harry sipped his coffee while looking at the boy over the rim of the cup almost curiously. “Since I didn’t get any calls of somebody lounging in my office.”

“It was so-so,” Eggsy shrugged, not even wondering why Harry asked about the same topic he thought of at that moment as if he could read his mind. “Nobody was hitting anybody. I call it a win.”

“I call it terrible if you expect it to happen,” Harry uttered, his eyes darkening. “Don’t you think of living on your own?”

“Of course,” the blond confirmed it. He would be stupid if he didn’t think of it – the problem was he didn’t have money at that time to actually move out. And leaving Daisy alone felt wrong as well. But the more Dean’s behaviour intensified (basically the older Eggsy got), the more Eggsy had the urge not to return home in the evening, even if it meant sleeping on a bench in a park. “But I never got a job that could actually grant me the luxury of paying my own place.”

“But now you do,” the CEO pointed out, putting the cup on the side and clasping his hands. “So think about it?”

“Not yet,” Eggsy pointed out with a smirk. “Didn’t even get my first pay check. And I’m pretty sure it’s going to fall on this stupid suit anyway.”

“I told you the suit was paid by the company,” Harry refused the claim immediately and it made Eggsy snort.

“That sounds really, really weird and you know it,” he reminded him, but Harry’s expression didn’t change, so Eggsy left it be. He could imagine Percival getting the receipt for it on his table and laughing his arse off, and then maybe King would rip it in two and fire them both.

“You can always stay at my place,” Harry said matter-of-factly and reached for the cup again, tasting it tentatively. Eggsy froze, the meaning of the words slowly getting to him, and when Harry noticed his dumbfounded expression, he shrugged like it was no big deal. “It’s not like I mind.”

“But...” Eggsy took a deep breath, trying to calm down from the initial shock. How could he offer it so casually? “ _Your_ house?”

“Or being hit at home?” the CEO opposed rather sharply. “The house is big and I seriously don’t mind _at all_. If it means you stay safe, there is seriously zero reasons why I wouldn’t offer it.”

“But Harry,” the blond gulped down, a bit shaken. “This is not a jacket borrowing. You’re telling me to _live_ with you.”

“Yes, in a manner of speaking I do,” the man nodded thoughtfully, like it just occurred to him as well. “But. I’m merely giving you the possibility. It’s no order. I just want you to know you have a place to stay when things goes south at your place. Not to mention you can _always_ find your own flat once you’re financially stable.”

“Uh.”

“Eggsy,” Harry’s voice sounded soothing now and Eggsy focused back at him from the haze he fell into, absolutely lost for a moment. A possibility? To live with Harry? With his _boss_? In _his_ house? That was absolutely _unreal_! Why would he even offer it to him? There was _nothing_ he could gain in return, except having a freeloader that would make too much noise and distort his own schedule, and… and… _the fuck, seriously_.

“You _can_ refuse,” the CEO informed him with a chuckle, apparently amused by Eggsy’s misery. “I suppose it’s a bit advancing from my side, if it makes you uncomfortable, there is nothing that forces you to agree on it. You understand that, right?”

“You’re offering me _your_ place,” Eggsy shot out, as if he needed to confirm that absolutely unbelievable notion and Harry nodded. “Just like that.”

“It’s not like you haven’t been there already.”

“Once,” the blond pointed at him. “Cuz you were stubborn enough to drag me there.”

“Did I drag you?” the older man raised his eyebrows and Eggsy grouched. Of course he _didn’t_ drag him there. Hell, it didn’t even need that much of a persuasion for Eggsy to go. It wasn’t fair accusing him that he did, that it was due to some selfish reasons – because really, what would Harry even had as a reason? There was nothing worth-while Eggsy could give him, or nothing he could bring into it, and maybe people who did nice things _just because_ existed after all.

Not that he believed it, but… yeah.

“No,” he answered in a barely hearable mumble and Harry tilted his head to the side.

“Just think about it,” he said to the blond simply. “No pressure. Alright?”

“You’re crazy,” Eggsy concluded and when Harry laughed, he had an insane, fleeting thought he wouldn’t mind living with this guy _at all_.

(A small voice in his head actually screamed he would love it.)

***

“Lunch?”

Eggsy glanced up, noticing Harry standing at the door to his office, watching him expectantly, and stopped writing altogether. It felt like Déjà vu, just with reversed roles, and Eggsy was pretty sure he was        as confused as Harry had been with the grumpy question.

“Lunch?” the blond repeated and quickly went through the schedule for today in his head. He was almost adamant that Harry didn’t have any meetings planned, and definitely no lunches. Or did he? Could he overlook something?

“Yes,” his boss smirked like he knew something Eggsy didn’t. _Well, he probably did_. “It’s noon and I’m literally starving.”

“Uh.”

“I’m asking you to go grab lunch with me,” Harry elaborated when there was apparent confusion in Eggsy’s face again, and the little smirk he was giving him did funny things to Eggsy’s stomach. “Meaning. Go sit somewhere, order food and eat it.”

“With me?” Eggsy asked dumbly and he earned that exasperated eye roll for sure.

“No, the one behind you,” Harry uttered, crossing his arms on his chest. “What gave you the idea I’ve been talking to you?”

“Must have been your charming personality,” Eggsy made a face and stood up, noticing his legs were a tad weaker all of sudden and he almost wobbled.

 _Weird_.

“Definitely,” Harry smiled again and waited until Eggsy walked towards him so he could take a step aside to let him through. If there were doors to be held, he would definitely do that too, a chronic gentleman to the max.

“I take it as a yes?” Harry asked after him, closing the door to Eggsy’s office quietly, and the blond nodded, fidgeting slightly.

“I’m hungry too anyway,” he mumbled as if he needed an excuse and heard how Harry said _good_ while taking his keys.

“I was thinking of a nice place about ten minutes drive from here,” he offered lightly and Eggsy wondered if it was going to be something snobbish where sitting down would cost fortune and main dish would look like a desert, or if Harry actually knew about a place where the food was _normal_. It was something he couldn’t really guess about him.

“You’re the boss,” the boy shrugged, following the older man like an obedient puppy to the elevator where Harry pressed the button right the moment Eggsy entered and the door closed. He gave him a short look and then smirked.

“Crooked tie,” he commented with a chuckle and Eggsy glanced at his reflection to the mirror, frowning at it. His tie was rather askew, alright. “I haven’t taught you how to tie a knot, have I?”

“No, you liar,” Eggsy glared at him to make him stop grinning, but it didn’t work. “I had to pull it over my head and – stop laughing!”

“Sorry, sorry,” the CEO didn’t even _try_ to look more dignified, and then gestured towards the boy. “Come here.”

“No, you will mess it up even more,” Eggsy took a step back and it made Harry laugh even harder.

“I promise I won’t,” he swore and made it probably as believable as when Daisy was trying to bully Eggsy with _I haven’t eaten the last cookie, I swear!_ “Come here, Eggsy.”

“Bossy,” the blond grumbled, but took a hesitant step forward anyway to bring them closer together, and Harry’s slim fingers immediately started working on his tie like it was the easiest thing in the universe.

_For him it probably was._

“It’s quite easy, actually,” he heard Harry’s voice rumble, but he found himself unable to look up, to watch his face, because his heart would probably beat its way out of his chest. Just the close proximity was doing weird things to him and he made himself focus on Harry’s fingers instead. The nimble movement almost hypnotized him, the gentle tugging, efficient work that made the piece of garment presentable again, and then Harry was tucking the tie under the vest and stepping away and Eggsy had to stop himself from refusing to let him go, his hands twitching, wanting to grab him and pull him back.

“There, like new,” the older man offered, a small smile playing on his lips, and Eggsy blinked, looked up and nodded. There was an urge to close the gap again, and it was annoying because he would ruin it all, and the hell, why he even wanted to do that? There was no fucking reason for him desiring it so badly.

But it felt cold, like all the warmth suddenly disappeared with Harry, and he _hated it_. The empty space.

“I’ll teach you once we get back,” the CEO promised him, thankfully not noticing Eggsy’s inner turmoil, and the blond was grateful for it. It was so fucking embarrassing anyway.

“Okay,” he piped, touching the tie slowly, and the elevator finally dinged and let them out. Eggsy followed the man in silence all the way to the parking lot where they stopped in front of Harry’s car the older man opened with one beep of his car keys. There he stopped and gave his younger companion a wondering look.  

“What?” Eggsy asked guardedly and Harry took the keys and presented them to Eggsy like a trophy.

“Want to drive?” he asked in a completely calm tone and Eggsy thought his jaw probably fell off by now.

_I want to marry him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betad by bespokes-maketh-man <3
> 
> Harry, geez, calm down, you'll make Eggsy to swoon before he's even ready to do so xD (aka Harry "I'm-so-sorry-for-yesterday-please-accept-me-being-overly-nice-to-you-as-a-compensation-and-maybe-even-enjoying-the-attention-and-having-you-so-close-also-please-come-live-with-me?") :D


	22. Big Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can I?”  
> “Yes.”  
> “For real?”  
> “Yes, Eggsy.”

“Can I?”

“Yes.”

“For real?”

“Yes, Eggsy.”

Harry never saw the blond so awed – his eyes were literally shining with joy when he was reaching for the keys, like he got blessed by something bigger than the Universe itself, and it made Harry stupefied for a moment. Such openly displayed glee over a simple car driving puzzled him, but the delight showed in Eggsy’s face was a reward enough, almost making him lose his carefully balanced control.

“Oh man, this is Christmas,” the boy commented happily, immediately taking place behind the driving wheel, and his fingers thrummed impatiently against it while Harry was tentatively sitting next to him. He definitely looked like a kid that was too happy with his present, overflowing with energy, but waiting for permission to try it out. “Chevrolets are so fucking awesome.”

“It has its perks,” Harry commented and the engine started softly, purring like a cat under Eggsy’s hands. The blond adjusted the rear-view mirror as he needed, checked the space behind him and another car, and winked at Harry mischievously. “I’ll guide you. It’s not very far.”

“Pity,” the blond grinned and the engine roared how he tried it curiously, making Harry cringe. “I love fast cars. I really, really love them.”

“Apparently,” the CEO let out a sigh and fastened his seatbelt a little firmer, just in case. Eggsy was young after all, and seemingly _very_ eager, so maybe a paper bag would be useful as well. “Just get to the main road first.”

“Gotcha.”

The vehicle moved smoothly, leaving the parking lot without an incident, and Harry had to admit he expected a bit of a struggle for a short while, but Eggsy made it without a single hiccup. But once they reached the main road, the engine roared once more, Eggsy’s lips curled up and Harry knew it was going to make him regret the choice to borrow him the car after all.

After the first minute he knew he wasn’t wrong.

***

“It wasn’t _that_ fast.”

“I think my breakfast still wants to crawl out,” Harry shot back, looking through the menu absentmindedly. His stomach was churning, but it was getting calmer, as long as he didn’t think of Eggsy’s driving gift. He should have been a racer with such heavy foot on the gas pedal. He had seen them several times literally sandwiched between other cars, or in a wall, and only by some miracle they both survived, and the car remained without a single scratch. How Eggsy managed to pull that out was a mystery to him. Probably a natural talent or lots of training.

Eggsy chuckled, apparently still amused by the fact Harry was shouting at him to _go slower_ during the whole ride while clutching the seat in spasm, and propped his chin against his palm.

“You do realize you’ve been forgiven already, right?”

“Hm?” Harry glanced at him questioningly, thinking of ordering a nice steak, so his mind didn’t really pinpoint the origin of Eggsy’s question, and the boy smiled.

“I accepted the apology yesterday,” he elaborated. “You don’t need to do all those big things, it’s fine already.”

“All those big things?” Harry put down the menu and focused on the blond fully. His expression was almost soft, like he considered Harry somewhat funny for trying so much. It probably should have offended him, but who would say no to that face.

“Ye,” the blond shrugged. “Letting me drive your car, taking me out for lunch _and_ offering me your own fucking place to live in.”

“Language,” the older man reprimanded him out of habit, but Eggsy’s smile didn’t falter.

Yes, the offer for Eggsy living with him was… sudden. It shot out of him before he could think about it – just the simple image of the boy getting beaten up by his own family short-circuited Harry’s brain like electricity, and he couldn’t really think straight. Since Eggsy already spent the night once, he considered the proposition well-founded, no big deal, nothing strange. It got back to him a little while later – especially when Eggsy looked like Harry grew another head.

It wasn’t _normal_ to offer such thing. It wasn’t even polite or reasonable. It was a reflex, to protect, probably. But also a selfish desire to keep the boy a little closer, which made Harry so dissatisfied with himself. He could barely contain himself these past few days, and the more time he spent with Eggsy being close and _adorable_ , the more was Harry losing it.

“I didn’t know taking somebody out for lunch is considered _a big thing_ ,” he pointed out, shaking all those unnecessary thoughts away and hoping it didn’t show on his face.

“But you admit the rest is big,” Eggsy grinned like he caught him red handed, and Harry grabbed the menu again to pace himself somehow. “Cuz I really think that _come live with me_ is like a marriage proposal.”

“Must be,” Harry uttered, maybe a little too focused on the text he wasn’t even reading, and heard Eggsy chuckle.

“I appreciate it,” he told Harry softly. “Like a lot. I mean, you don’t even know me properly and you’re ready to offer your privacy, just to shield me from few punches that _might not_ even land.”

“And they also _might_ ,” Harry immediately reacted, looking at the boy with a frown. “I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable with the offer. My reason is merely to ensure your safety.”

“Ye, but why?” the blond watched him curiously. “Why do you even care? It’s not like it’s that bad.”

“It definitely _is_ bad,” Harry responded dryly. “And you can’t really make it any better by trying to assure me you can take it. You shouldn’t be willing to do so anyway.”

“Yes, Dr. Freud.”

Harry refused to comment on it further and was grateful when a waiter appeared, ready to take their orders.

He might have overdone it today, and Eggsy had been partly right – he felt guilty for behaving so badly yesterday morning, so these _big things_ were his form of saying sorry. But definitely _not only_ saying sorry, as much as he wanted to hide behind the excuse. Doing _nice_ things for him felt right, every smile that appeared on the boy’s face was like a proof he was successful, and Harry found himself getting addicted to it a bit too easily.

But then again, Eggsy probably didn’t realize he had been doing the same thing in his own way – bringing him coffee every morning with perfectly memorized combination of his most liked ingredients, taking care of his schedule without a single hiccup like he had been doing that for _years_ , watching his back during the meetings, saving the day _and_ the whole company’s profit by paying attention and fulfilling his tasks conscientiously. Not to mention the banter he kept, and that made Harry always looking forward to every moment the boy didn’t shut himself in his office to work on something, was a perfect proof of it.

“I think you just want to have me close,” Eggsy suddenly said, leering at him from his food, and it caught Harry off guard, so he stared back, not knowing what to say exactly so he wouldn’t sound defensive.

 _Yes_ , a truthful answer would be. _I do. And it’s bad, but I do._

“I won’t deny that,” he answered with a smile to bring a bit lighter feel into it, and to get Eggsy off the track if he thought he was joking. It usually worked anyway. “You’re a delightful company after all.”

“Flaterrer,” the blond smirked, but Harry noticed how his ears reddened, even despite the tone he used. “You’d change your mind soon anyway.”

“That’s what is holding you back?” it caught Harry’s attention, even though the boy probably said it more to himself than to his boss. “Because you think I’d change my mind?”

“Kind of?” Eggsy shrugged, but there was insecurity in his posture now, like he was expecting the worse, and it was a sad thing to consider. “I mean. All this? You’re being like… super nice. And there is nothing you’ve wanted in return yet, and I’m… not really used to it.”

“I don’t want anything in return,” Harry opposed calmly, finally tasting his own food, although his appetite hadn’t been very big on it. “Just knowing it made you a little happier is enough.”

“Man, that’s sappy as hell,” Eggsy finally laughed a bit, still with strain, but not as terrible as before. “Because it makes me feel happier? Really?”

“Really,” Harry shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as he could. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. That’s what people do.”

“No, they do not,” the boy replied stubbornly. “Not in my experience.”

“Then it’s time for a different one,” the older man pointed out, and Eggsy’s eyes grew big, like Harry said something shocking he couldn’t believe.

“You’re serious, aren’t ya,” he breathed out after a moment. “You really, really mean it. _All of this_. Living with you and all that shite.”

“Yes,” Harry didn’t hesitate with the answer, and the expression Eggsy had made his blood pump faster and heart beat wildly. It was like something dawned on the boy, and Harry wondered if he should have been scared of the revelation – if Eggsy realized he had become Harry’s treasured person at some point, because when he went mentally through all he had done these past few days, it was so painfully _obvious_.

And yes, Eggsy had been sort of flirting with him, he was cheeky and made all those remarks, but it didn’t need to mean _anything_. He had been doing that with Roxy too. He even pushed Merlin several times – it was his nature. But otherwise there was _no_ sign of him actually being interested _anyhow_ in his boss, other than keeping them talking in a comfortable tone.

Jumping into conclusions was always, _always_ bad. And expecting something without knowing facts was even worse.

“Harry,” Eggsy’s voice was rather raspy, and Harry expected the worse. “Are you waiting for me take an advantage of you?”

“An advantage?” the CEO blinked in confusion and Eggsy stared with intensity worth an award. Harry felt like he was seeing right through him, reading his mind without problem, and that was slightly frightening. There were definitely things the boy shouldn’t have known about him, _ever_.

“Because I will,” the boy said in a dangerously low tone. “You do this for a tad longer and _I will_.”

Harry felt his mind getting an eclipse, leaving all rationality behind him.  He couldn’t stop staring. It shouldn’t have been doing things to him, having the boy almost threatening (or was it a threat? He sounded like he was ready to attack, but at the same time Harry would probably like it), and yet he refused to be reasonable.

“ _Good_ ,” he managed to say and heard the blond take a sharp breath at such blatant confirmation.

“God-fucking-dammit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Well, my dear Harry. You're fucked, admit it.


	23. Freaking Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Didn’t watch at all, did you,” he commented, but his voice sounded warm, and Eggsy shook his head and let out a shaky sigh. Did his voice always sounded so nice?  
> I need a psychiatrist. This is so bad. So fucking bad.  
> “Sorry,” he mumbled apologetically and hooked his finger against the tie to ruin the perfectly formed knot again. “One more time?”

Eggsy wondered if there was a hole he could hide himself into and never leave it. He would probably even pay fortune for it now, just to disappear from the Earth’s surface and preferably also from Harry’s memory.

_Take an advantage of you, what the fuck!_

His boss! His fucking boss, and he told him that in a public place, while he was treated to lunch, driving _his_ car, being offered a nice, calm home where he could catch a breather – no, he just had to ruin it all by _this_.

Where did his brain even go at that point? Being swayed by nice words and pompous gestures, just to react with _fine, I’ll fuck you over, and then some!_

And that bastard even had the nerve to say _good_.

 _Good_!

What was good about Eggsy wanting to use him like a goddamn Fairy Godmother? This wasn’t anything worth Harry’s attention, or his overprotective nature. This was Eggsy struggling with giving in to the peaceful niceness that was trying to woo him into its sweet trap, and his hyperactive mind just twisted it immediately into something _wrong_.

 _Taking an advantage of him._ P _referably from up close. Resume the warmth, spread it like a wildfire, touch a bit more._

Like the hell Harry would let him do that, for fuck’s sake. He was a grown man; he seriously didn’t have an urge to waste time with somebody who could even be his son. Unexperienced, uncontrollable, a pleb. And as much as he was nice to him, and even sort of flirted at times, just attacking him out of blue would destroy _everything_ Eggsy had been working so hard for.

So he shut his mouth, ate his food, and remained stubbornly quiet all the way back to the company. Harry was driving that time, slow and careful, and Eggsy wanted to step on his foot to make it faster, to disappear from his sight as quick as possible. Then he spent about three hours in his office, working on an imaginary problem that didn’t even need so much time to deal with, quietly freaking out.

He had to have an eclipse in that restaurant. Harry must have pressed the right buttons somehow for him to short-circuit like that, and blurt out such an idiotic notion. What did even Harry think of him now? It even sounded like he wanted to push him against the table and ravish him with all those things he spouted, and Harry should have reacted with disdain to stop him, not saying _good_ like he would welcome it.

He would definitely _not_ welcome it.

Eggsy should be saying sorry, not hiding here like a coward, he knew that. It was like waiting for a miracle to happen, some sort of salvation, maybe a memory eraser. Which wouldn’t come anyway, because it was Eggsy and nothing good ever happened to him without sacrificing something in return.

It still took him about ten more minutes before he was able to leave his office and shuffle outside, peeking towards Harry’s table to see the man sitting there while reading something with a concentrated look on his face.

“And here I thought you’re planning to sleep in there as well,” his voice interrupted him without the man even looking up and it was slightly better, since there was no strain in his tone, no anger. He acted like nothing happened, and for one it was amazing, and for two it was maddening. It would be much easier if Harry showed him what he thought than pretended it was all fine and dandy – Eggsy basically told him he was going to use him sooner or later (stupid, so stupid, how could he even say shite like that? He would never do that).

Eggsy took a deep breath and nodded, slouching towards the table like a zombie and Harry glanced at him with raised eyebrows like it was something he never saw before.

“Tired?” he asked him calmly and Eggsy nodded because it was easier than searching for a stupid excuse.

“Ate too much I guess,” he tried to justify it somehow and Harry chuckled and nodded towards the couch.

“Feel free to nod off,” he offered and put down what he was reading, just to grab a different pile of papers instead. “Or, since we have time, I can finally teach you how to tie that knot and _then_ you can sleep.”

“Oh, the tie, right,” Eggsy realized and his boss took it as an agreement, since he stood up, left the work be and circled the table to reach the boy without delay. He led the blond towards the wardrobe he opened to show him the tall mirror and stopped behind him with an unreadable expression, showing both of them his height superiority. It should have intimidated Eggsy, probably, but it actually felt safe, having this man towering above him like this.

Eggsy let himself to be positioned without a word, the touch of Harry’s hands on his shoulders burning strangely through the suit, and then there were fingers dragging his tie down slowly and his throat suddenly became tight. He couldn’t stop watching the simple movement and his mind unhelpfully supplied that it would look so good if there was some other meaning behind it, if Harry wouldn’t stop just at the tie but unbuttoned his shirt as well, and _goddamn, stop!_

“It’s quite easy, actually,” he heard Harry talking, a warm air puffing against his right ear for how close the man stood behind him to show Eggsy the best way, and his fingers started working on the piece of garment like on a magic trick. Eggsy was aware Harry was explaining along the way, he could hear his voice, but the words didn’t pierce the veil of absolute captivation he found himself in. He didn’t watch the tie at all; he locked his gaze up at Harry’s face – calm, composed mask of concentration with deep, brown eyes, and soft lines, and he couldn’t stop.

Since when he started fancy this guy? (A small voice shouted at him that he was captivated the first moment Harry showed him his sense of humour, but he extinguished it stubbornly.)

Harry noticed Eggsy’s attention a while later when his eyes skimmed up with a question if the boy understood, and found him literally staring, at which he blinked and then tilted his head to the side.

“Didn’t watch at all, did you,” he commented, but his voice sounded warm, and Eggsy shook his head and let out a shaky sigh. Did his voice always sounded so nice?

_I need a psychiatrist. This is so bad. So fucking bad._

“Sorry,” he mumbled apologetically and hooked his finger against the tie to ruin the perfectly formed knot again. “One more time?”

Harry didn’t say anything, but his hands straightened the tie once more so he could start anew, and Eggsy wondered what that guy thought at moments like those.

_Stupid kid? Desperate bugger? Craving attention?_

“Watching?” he asked and Eggsy nodded, forcing his eyes to focus on the tie instead of the face of the CEO. He really needed to do something with his attitude – getting hooked up on his boss was the worst thing that could happen to him. Especially now when he finally got some respect from him, and from the rest of the people working here, just to ruin it with his raging hormones.

The fact he had been standing _so fucking close_ wasn’t helping though.

“Eggsy, are you sleeping?” Harry’s voice interrupted his thoughts again and Eggsy flinched, realizing he had been spacing out, and Harry sighed and his hands dropped from the tie.

“How about we leave it for some other time?” the older man suggested and gestured towards the couch. “And you sleep it off?”

“Do you want me to ruin my back on it?” Eggsy managed to get out and Harry stepped away, chuckling, and the warmth disappeared with him, leaving the blond cold again, and painfully dissatisfied. It would be so, _so easy_ to just turn around and wrap his arms around his broad shoulders, to press close and maybe even _taste_. And it was scary and Eggsy chided himself for it in his head with the worst possible insults he knew.

“A nap shouldn’t leave your back in _that_ bad state,“ Harry offered and returned to his table in slow pace. “And judging from the zero attention span you have right now you kind of need it.”

“Sorry,” the blond mumbled and earned a small smile from the man.

“It’s no problem,” Harry assured him, too nice again, too fucking nice for his own good, and Eggsy counted to ten and tried to get it out of his mind. Maybe he really should have slept it off. Maybe his head was just confused right now and it needed to turn off for a moment, reboot itself.

So he lied down and hoped for the sleep to claim him as soon as it could, shutting all those needy feelings that brewed in him like a poison, threatening to spill out.

***

“Eggsy.”

“Mhhm?”

“How long are you planning to sleep?” Ah, Harry’s voice.

Eggsy blinked tiredly, the reality slowly seeping back to his consciousness, and his eyes immediately found the man bending over him, _smiling_ , and it was like waking up from a dream into another, a more pleasant one.

“Hey,” he greeted him stupidly, grinning, his brain still hazed, and Harry gently touched his cheek, like he was praising him. It was definitely something he would be happy to get used to.

“Hey yourself,” he told him with a chuckle, but the touch stayed. “You slept for three hours.”

“Why haven’t you woken me up?” the blond stretched, his body pleasantly rested, and Harry sat next to him at the edge of the couch and his hand gently slid from the boy’s cheek to his neck, his thumb sweeping over the naked skin there.

“Why would I?” he responded softly, seemingly very content with the current position. “You slept like a baby.”

“I’m not a baby,” Eggsy opposed, but it had no bite. His own hand covered Harry’s – not to stop him, but to assure the continuation – and the CEO pulled at Eggsy’s tie and removed it completely.

“Definitely not,” he agreed with the boy, but it was rumbly and it made the blond squirm under him in anticipation. “You’re actually very far from it.”

“Ye?”

Harry didn’t respond, but his eyes were intense and his hand started popping buttons on Eggsy’s shirt one by one. His knuckles brushed over the skin under it almost in accident, and Eggsy couldn’t stop his voice from crying out, his body tense like a string.

“C’mon, _c’mon_ ,” he urged the older man impatiently and pulled at his arm to drag him lower, to offer more warmth, more skin, _more everything_. And Harry went willingly, dropping low and brushing his lips over Eggsy’s naked collarbones, and the blond’s voice hitched in his throat-

“Eggsy!”

A sharp noise made his body jerk up, eyes wide and chest heaving, and there was a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from another movement, and Harry next to him with wide eyes.

“Calm down, it was just a dream,” his boss told him, the touch burning, and Eggsy frantically searched for some middle ground, to find out what just happened, until reality crushed into him unmercifully.

His whole body hurt like he just slept on a hard floor, his throat was unpleasantly dry, and there was _nothing_ about Harry that would even remind him of the gentle, meaningful touching.

 _A dream_.

“You were trashing around like crazy,” Harry released his hold and took a step back, visibly ruffled by the situation. “Bad dreams?”

“Uh…” Eggsy blinked – the image of Harry looking at him hungrily in the dream not wanting to go away no matter how hard he tried – and shook his head. “I don’t… remember.”

“Guess the nap hadn’t been the best idea,” the CEO sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “How is your back?”

“Painful,” the blond uttered, his body hating him with passion now, and Harry barked out a laugh, apparently relaxing a little.

“Figures,” he commented, eying the furniture warily. “I need to get a new one here. It really is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever sat on.”

”How long was I out?” Eggsy asked quietly, carefully standing up, and was grateful his body didn’t show any signs of his dirty mind. That could be very, very awkward.

_For fuck’s sake, I’ve dreamed about my boss going down on me._

“About thirty minutes,” Harry answered while he was sitting back down behind his table. “Not very long. It seemed better to wake you up with all that noises you were making.”

“Noises?” the blond gulped down in terror, but Harry only hummed, not commenting it further, apparently getting back to his own work. Eggsy considered it the best moment to disappear back into his own office and sulk in there in silence.

He spent the rest of the day in there, re-evaluating his whole life _and_ his weird quirks of wanting to push his boss down and try how he tasted like.

He never wanted to do that before. There was no other guy he had an urge to lick his neck and leave a hickey of a size of Texas, and deliberately strip him just partly from his jacket and waistcoat and leave him the shirt and the tie, because it was _so nice_ , and have him preferably lying on the table while Eggsy could climb all over him like a cat that was given a treat.

No, never before. Girls, yeah. He had some wild fantasies about gals he knew, and even experiences with some he just met. But it was _different_. Probably a little spontaneous, fast and a quite messy, and then it ended and they never talked again.

He didn’t want that with Harry. He wanted it to be slow. Long. Savouring. With lots of marking and _watching_ how the man comes undone and…

Eggsy let out a long, exasperated sigh and had an urge to slap himself. Why him? Why now? Why with Harry out of all people he could crush on? Why not Roxy? Goddamn, the gal was so pretty and smart! But nope. He just had to want to get into pants of his fucking boss.

 _Fuck my life_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Well. Eggsy is probably even more fucked than Harry is xD Unfortunatelly not literally xD


	24. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and finally returned to her with his eyes, noticing the genuine curiosity in her expression. She always acted as if he had been an experiment and she waited for the chemical reaction to happen when she applied the right solution, and he didn’t like that.  
> “Adequate,” he uttered dryly. “It’s nothing major.”  
> “A romantic interest I take it?” she suggested and Harry took a sharp breath. “If you feel you’re ready for it, then I’ve already told you it’s a good thing to go through, as far as you take it slow and control yourself.”

Harry hadn’t been surprised that Eggsy didn’t accept the house offer. It would be a miracle if he did after all, so Harry didn’t push it, even though he always checked the boy’s condition every day he came to work. Any bruises, any unnatural movements, he looked for basically anything that could give away his home treatment. But except the fact Eggsy had been rather distracted at certain situations, nothing seemed out of order, and Harry didn’t know if it ought to make him calmer, or selfishly disappointed.

Although the offer – or the whole scene in the restaurant, really – probably changed something. Eggsy spent more time _outside_ of the office, usually with Roxy, and Harry rarely saw him present over the lunch break, like he was making sure not to give Harry any chance to take him out somewhere again. Harry didn’t really blame him, for how it turned out he was surprised Eggsy didn’t keep away from him even more.

He was very much aware he messed up in the restaurant, showed Eggsy more of his intentions than he wanted, so the fact Eggsy was mostly avoiding him during the moments they _could_ be alone outside of work was warranted. A little maddening, yes, but understandable.

But despite this, there was _always_ coffee on his table every morning and Eggsy ready to tell him what was planned for the day, work done and materials neatly prepared, and if Harry hadn’t been present on that faithful lunch, he would say there was nothing out of ordinary.

Eggsy talked with him normally – yes, he spaced out sometimes, but Harry didn’t think much of it. If he wanted to be completely honest with himself, it was making him rather unhappy. Any indication of what the boy actually thought would be much, much better than the silent treatment of _everything is alright, nothing happened, I haven’t noticed my boss making a move on me in a public place at all_. If Harry was put back on his place, got his stupid urges that were getting worse and worse by each passing day of the boy being overly sweet in his surprising innocence crushed, it would _definitely_ be slightly better than sitting there, wondering how the blond would look flushed under him and then feeling bad about it.

“You have skipped several sessions, Harry.”

He blinked, his mind returning to the task at hand and mainly at the concerned look on his therapist’s face. He always disliked this place, sterile looking and grim, even with all the white furniture it reminded him of a tomb he got trapped in, where all the lights were dimmed and windows hidden behind heavy curtains.

“Didn’t really have time for it,” he responded calmly and leisurely crossed his legs. “Nor an inclination.”

“But you do realize you’re doing this for your own sake,” the woman retorted, looking as unemotional as she always had, with glasses perfectly sitting on her face, making her almost too strict. The tightly tied bun didn’t help.

“Quite frankly, I think it’s a waste of our time,” he opposed, tilting his head to the side. “It had been five years already. I’m sure you can let go of my leash by now.”

“Judging from your agitation I believe it’s still too soon,” she replied like he just told her he was failing his life terribly. “Have something important happened in your personal life these past few months we haven’t seen each other?”

“No,” he said shortly, holding her gaze like a stubborn dog. She smiled slightly – an expression he grew to dislike, because it meant she saw right through him, and gestured towards him.

“Tell me about it.”

“I said nothing happened,” he held his ground and felt the frown forming, already telling her everything she needed to know.

“Yet?” she offered and Harry avoided her gaze and focused at the door instead. How he wished to be leaving through them already! “You know you don’t need to tell me names or places.”

“How long are you intending on keeping these useless sessions up?” he ignored her pointedly, still not looking at her, and she let out a small sigh.

“I take it you have a hard time again then,” she immediately concluded. “How are you holding up?”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and finally returned to her with his eyes, noticing the genuine curiosity in her expression. She always acted as if he had been an experiment and she waited for the chemical reaction to happen when she applied the right solution, and he didn’t like that.

“Adequate,” he uttered dryly. “It’s nothing major.”

“A romantic interest I take it?” she suggested and Harry took a sharp breath. “If you feel you’re ready for it, then I’ve already told you it’s a good thing to go through, as far as you take it slow and control yourself.”

“Control myself,” he barked out a laugh. “You keep telling me this for _five years_ ; don’t you think I’ve already got my precious control back?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Have you?”

Harry took a deep breath and buried himself deeper into the armchair. His control was a main topic for very, very long. He always felt like it was slipping when there was something a little bit intense and he got invested in it. Anger, sadness or depression were his constant companions and he could barely maintain them in order to stay around people without an incident. But that was five years ago, and, if he wanted to be really honest, it still posed a threat about two years back – especially when he grew to like somebody. He could utilize enough self-control to keep himself in check when he was at work; around people he considered colleagues or friends. But when it came to somebody he was invested in _more_ , romantically or sexually, it needed higher level of discipline.  He tended to multiply every emotion he felt intensively until it was too much to bear – if there was something that angered him, he was able to throw things against walls until he was satisfied, or shout until his voice was failing.

But he was alright now. He knew he was, he could test it for many times at work where he _could_ explode very easily – and even with Eggsy there still were borders he could cross if he had still been under the influence. But he didn’t, he knew it was _wrong_ and his consciousness refused to let him, so he considered it a proof enough.

“Yes,” he answered the therapist’s question sternly. “And _yes_ , I am interested in somebody. But since I’m able to control myself, everything is in order.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she motioned with a smile. “I believe you already stopped going to doctor’s check-ups?”

“Two years ago,” he forced down the snort that was fighting its way out. It was almost ridiculous to ask him these questions – as well as it was ridiculous to keep the sessions up so long _after_ the accident.

Yes, he wasn’t stupid to think that being shot was a minor thing and he didn’t need counselling. And of course it had been tough the first months _and_ years after, since it was his head that took the blast and it left a scar on his left temple, as well as having his mind all messed up. _Trauma,_ doctors said, _you need to take it easy now, through therapies and rehabilitations_.

“I’d like to monitor you a bit longer though,” the therapist interrupted his thoughts resolutely. “Especially now, when you took an interest in somebody.”

“Which is my personal matter.”

“Which can affect the behaviour pattern more than your job does,” she opposed. “Half a year.”

“That’s ridiculous,” he rolled his eyes, but the face of the woman remained set. Harry grumbled and mentally kicked her, so he could feel a little better.

It didn’t really help.

***

Harry always thought having somebody waiting for him in his office while standing up like they took a bolt in their ass, hypnotizing the door, was bad enough. It usually had been Merlin who wanted to deliver grim news personally, or Roxy, who, despite of bringing rather mild information, made him agitated with her presence and inclination of talking to Eggsy with a bit too much familiarity.

But today it was Eggsy who was standing in front of Harry’s table and looked ruffled, on board of ashamed, and Harry couldn’t think of anything that would make him look like this. He wasn’t in his suit, nor he was in his _presentable_ clothes, but jeans and black and yellow hoodie and a cap on his head, and it gave Harry a serious pause and made the boy cringe even more than before.

“Harry,” the blond started, his voice already apologetic and the first thing that flashed through Harry’s brain was _oh no, he’s leaving me_. It fluttered some panicked thoughts immediately and probably even showed it on his face, since Eggsy gulped down heavily and fidgeted.

“First of all,” the blond continued, gesturing towards his attire. “Sorry for this shite. I haven’t had the time… I mean. Sorry. I haven’t made it home yesterday and-,”

“Haven’t made it home?” the CEO repeated with wide eyes, another set of scenarios making it even worse, and Eggsy whined pathetically and then shook his head.

“Beyond the point,” he assured his boss quietly. “The main thing is… please don’t be mad at me.”

“For…?”

“I didn’t have a choice, I couldn’t do anything else-“

“Eggsy!”

“Sorry!” the boy bowed down and pressed his hands together in a pleading gesture, and Harry had an urge to shake him to spit it out already, his nerves working overtime. “Really, really sorry, but can you make an exception? For today.”

“For what!” Harry’s patience ran thin and Eggsy cleared his throat and walked fast towards his own office, opening the door hesitantly and then looking at Harry with puppy eyes. Harry expected anything – demolished room, the PC in shambles, dead bodies or King handcuffed to the heater, but when he approached the door and looked inside, he definitely hadn’t been expecting a little blond girl sitting in front of Eggsy’s table, drawing abstract shapes on a paper sheet.

It took Harry a second before he realized there was _nothing_ health threatening, nothing that would end the world, and that Eggsy made him worked up over a minor task, and let out a long, suffering sigh.

“I thought you killed somebody and need help to hide the body,” he glanced at the boy with an exasperated expression and Eggsy laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

“No, I… it had been really sudden,” the boy mumbled, shifting on the spot. “I came home and thought I’ll make it all – change and take a shower and whatever, but then my mum called they phoned from kinder garden for her to pick Daisy up, that she had been coughing or somethin’, but she couldn’t leave, so I went there for her. But the girl that is usually taking care of her when we are all away wasn’t at home either and I couldn’t leave four years old alone in the flat, could I?”

“Preferably not,” Harry agreed a little calmer now.

“So I took her here,” Eggsy concluded hesitantly. “And I know it’s bad and it’s really frowned upon, but… Harry, please, for today? Just for today.”

_God help me, those puppy eyes of his…_

“Well, what can I do _now_ when the kid is already here?” Harry faked another sigh and Eggsy’s face broke into a happy grin. “Just don’t let her run around, okay?”

“I’d never,” Eggsy nodded in agreement a bit too vehemently and before Harry could add anything else, the blond shot forward and hugged him like a teddy bear. “ _Thank you so much!”_

Harry could only pat him awkwardly back and hoped, sincerely hoped that his body wouldn’t betray him _now_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Eggsy - the unexpected hugger :D


	25. Sleepy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dais,” he called at her desperately. “Luv, go play and let Harry work, ye?”  
> “But-,”  
> “It’s alright,” Harry assured him, put down a pen and turned to the girl with a small smile. “It’s not like these are pressing matters.”  
> “See!” Daisy glanced at Eggsy defiantly and he groaned in defeat. Seriously, kids were sometimes terrifyingly stubborn.   
> “Don’t spoil her,” Eggsy grumbled, giving the girl an evil eye, but she ignored him profusely. Harry chuckled, that bugger, and ignored him as well, easily taking the girl up and seating her on his knee. Eggsy didn’t have the strength to reprimand either of them.

Eggsy had a plan. Hell, he had several plans, he thought it through, and they were working – as much as these half-baked attempts could, really – but they were. If he wouldn’t give himself a chance to flaunt around his boss, or seeing him flaunting around in return, he would successfully block everything that didn’t belong to this workplace.

It was a brilliant plan, really. Disappearing to chat with Roxy as much as he could, and if not Roxy, he always could stop at the financial department where he would get a good cup of coffee and often even a cookie or a piece of pie or something one of the women there brought. Sometimes even talking to Percival was an option, even though Eggsy usually got a lecture from the i.o.r. he forgot the moment he left his office.

But it worked. When he was in his own office, he didn’t see Harry at all. He saw him for a few in a morning, then when he was running away during the lunch, and when he was leaving home – occasionally when Harry stopped by with something he needed to be done. But it was minimal and Eggsy could tell his raging hormones were finally quieting down a bit, and his confused brain balancing the rationality and common sense.

He would pat himself on a shoulder for a good job done, if he didn’t fucking blew it today like a soap bubble with coping a feel like a starving hobo.

He could say thank you and smile. It would be enough.

No, he had to hug that guy like he hadn’t seen him in _years_ and it almost made him refuse to let go of him again when he locked him in an embrace.  There was firmness and warmth and the nicest feeling ever and Eggsy was so fucking lost in it for a moment he even felt a sob coming up when he had to part with him. He didn’t even know why Harry indulged him – it was like Daisy hadn’t been the only child in the room, but Eggsy’s age diminished as well, being so clingy it hurt. But Harry remained quiet and patted him on his back and Eggsy buried his face into his jacket and stayed there for a bit too long, until he realized it was probably weird and grudgingly let go.

His only luck was that Harry didn’t comment on it.

And now he was sitting on the couch, trying to act like he wasn’t horrified while he watched his little sister tugging at Harry’s jacket when he was at his table and _working_ , and asking him if he was that _man from the phone._

He promised Harry the kid wouldn’t be running around, making problems or bother people, and now she was there, at his boss, interrupting him shamelessly from his agenda.

He was _so dead_.

“Dais,” he called at her desperately. “Luv, go play and let Harry work, ye?”

“But-,”

“It’s alright,” Harry assured him, put down a pen and turned to the girl with a small smile. “It’s not like these are pressing matters.”

“See!” Daisy glanced at Eggsy defiantly and he groaned in defeat. Seriously, kids were sometimes terrifyingly stubborn.

“Don’t spoil her,” Eggsy grumbled, giving the girl an evil eye, but she ignored him profusely. Harry chuckled, that bugger, and ignored him as well, easily taking the girl up and seating her on his knee. Eggsy didn’t have the strength to reprimand either of them.

Actually all he wanted to do, like really, really wanted, was to sleep for a bit, at least two, three hours of shut-eye he didn’t get at all tonight. His own fault, he knew, but he seriously needed to get a little wasted to get his hormone levels to normal, or at least forget what plagued him for a while. The fact that Roxy, who had gone with him, got smashed more than him was another thing.

He definitely didn’t mean to end up here in these clothes, sleepy and half conscious, and with Daisy on top of all that.

“Did something happen at home?” Harry’s voice interrupted his thoughts like he read his mind and Eggsy flinched and gave his boss a sheepish look. “For you to be in this state.”

Well, he definitely had to smell cigarettes on him, and probably even alcohol as well, especially when Eggsy had been so bold and hugged him like an idiot.

“He didn’t sleep at home,” Daisy immediately butted in, frowning like her brother sinned terribly. “Mum was scared.”

He knew Daisy was angry at him for it, she always had been when he didn’t make it home. But he usually calmed her down with something yummy or when he played with her, but today he was so out of it he was only able to bring her here and hope Harry wouldn’t kick them both out.

“Nothing happened,” Eggsy refused the claim with a sigh. “I just overdid it in a pub.”

Harry’s eyes looked him over, like he was searching for injuries or something, and Eggsy noticed him doing that before, each morning when he came to work, as if he was checking. And it was endearing, somehow, like he cared a lot, and Eggsy wasn’t sure what to do with it. If he did, if Harry was really so invested in the boy’s well-being, then having all those… _thoughts_ about the man proved to be even more perverted than he thought, and he was going to burn in hell for it.

Sometimes he even found himself so far in his own fantasies that he had to stop himself from going to Harry’s office and sit on his lap like a dog that wanted to be petted. Not really anything sexual, just… having the contact. Resuming the warmth and the softness and everything – and he usually successfully purged it from his mind, until now, when he hugged him and couldn’t get rid of the feeling.

“We just kinda forgot time, nothing serious,” Eggsy tried to coax his boss somehow. “I’m pretty sure Roxy took a day off, she was wasted as hell.”

Harry froze for a moment, it was hard not to notice and Eggsy chided himself for giving Roxy away like this. It was him who dragged her to the pub, basically pleading her to go, and then ranted the whole night about Harry. Roxy seemed like she understood him, cooing at him like a mother hen, telling him _well, it’s Harry, people rarely doesn’t have at least slight crush on him, it’s normal_ , and it didn’t help _at all_. So they got drunk and he learned she had had an unhealthy obsession with Percival for the first year she worked in the Kingsman, and he suspected that _crush_ was still on and she was just lying about it.

All in all it sort of _helped_. But it also didn’t solve anything – not his hormones, not his head and it definitely didn’t lessen the thirst to _touch_.

“Just don’t tell Merlin,” Eggsy hastily added, seeing Harry’s expression darkening. The CEO shifted Daisy on his knee and it apparently woke her up, since she was slowly dozing off in his arms until that moment.

 “Sorry,” the CEO whispered towards the child gently and the girl wriggled, rubbed her eyes sleepily and settled on his lap like a little puppy, dozing off again.

_Lucky little bugger._

“It was my idea,” Eggsy tried once more. “It’s not like she’s going partying every time she can, I swear. I’ve just wanted to switch off my brain for a bit. I’m not sure if Merlin would understand-,”

“Merlin is not her boss, it’s none of his business,” Harry quietly responded, but his voice was strangely cold – not just so he wouldn’t wake Daisy, but as if he got angry somehow. Or maybe not even angry just… something. It made Eggsy panic a little.

“I’m sorry,” he decided to apologize and sighed deeply. “I know this is really unprofessional and all. The kid, the clothes and I stink of smoke and booze, but…”

He waited for a moment, but no response came, no _it’s alright_ or _I understand_. Harry was holding Daisy like a little baby and watched him with unreadable expression and Eggsy thought they both waited for something the other should deliver. The bad thing was – Eggsy had no idea what Harry exactly wanted to hear, except of a profuse apology for his actions. So he hid his face in his palms and shook his head.

“I swear I won’t fuck up like this ever again,” he mumbled after a moment and Harry hummed.

“Alright,” the man finally replied and since that moment he didn’t look at Eggsy anymore.

***

Eggsy couldn’t beat up himself about today more than he did these past few hours. He was a terrible assistant, coming to work smelling like a dump. He was a terrible brother, leaving his little sister in his boss’ care. He was a terrible human being for wanting to be sprawled over the man as well. He was also hangover, had a bitter taste in his mouth and his brain decided to torture him and started thinking of all kind of outcomes of this fucked up situation.

Harry didn’t talk to him since then. He took care of Daisy like she was his family without a single problem, and left Eggsy out of his field of vision like the boy didn’t even exist. At first Eggsy thought it was because he really disappointed him with the drinking. Then he thought of Harry having a thing for Roxy, and the fact Eggsy spent the whole night _and_ the morning with her bothered him. Then the irrational part of him hoped he had thing for Eggsy and didn’t like the fact Roxy had been his night companion – he could think of anything after all. And then he settled on the simplest of all – Harry just didn’t like people who got drunk and went to work at that state. Maybe he should have taken a day off as well – if it was even possible after such a short time he worked here (a month? Or around that, he wasn’t sure, his brain wasn’t working).

So he spent about two hours in his office, folded on his chair with arms on the table and head on them, dozing off minutely, then jerking awake at the tiniest noises or voices, once almost crashing to the ground when the phone went off.

Every time he managed to fall asleep, his fucked up mind pulled Harry out like a trump card and he woke up dissatisfied and grumpy. At some point he was glad Daisy didn’t try to wake him up to play with her, but on the other hand just leaving her with Harry made him terribly guilty as well.

Too bad his sleep-hazed, alcohol induced body refused to do anything about it.

When he fell asleep for about the tenth time, there was Harry again, almost the same as in any other dream, standing above him, gently shaking him awake, his low, smooth voice cooing at him to wake up. And Eggsy _again_ told him he was really, really tired, and Harry _again_ insisted it was late and he should go home, and Eggsy could almost go on automatic when he followed the dream’s line, sitting up, stretching and looking at his boss dreamily.

“I got something to tell ya, Harry,” he said, leaving a lazy smile to stretch his lips leisurely, and Harry tilted his head, a gesture so dear to him by now, and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

“Gotta go closer tho,” the blond invited him, gesturing for him to bend down. And Harry did, slowly bending lower, one of his hand propping against the desk, and Eggsy reached for his tie and wrapped it around his hand to make Harry reach him even better.

“Eggsy...”

“Mmm?” the boy brushed their lips together, like he did many, many times (many embarrassing times, mind you, his dreams were just so fucking lame. There was usually no sex whatsoever, just him being awfully cuddly and kissy and ugh).

“About Roxy-,”

“What about Rox?” he blinked in question. The hell would he drag Roxy into this, goddamn. His mind really should get a filter. He didn’t want unpleasant dreams. He didn’t want Harry telling him liked Roxy better. He wanted him to take him to his arms and tell him he likes him, and then maybe even get some nice spot and sleep together, comfortably, like two bunnies, and… no, Roxy didn’t belong there _at all_.

So when Harry opened his mouth again, Eggsy decided he didn’t want to hear it and stubbornly kissed him, holding him on a short leash with the tie, and yeah, it was nice and warm, and it made his stomach flip around and let out butterflies. And his mouth tingled and tongue searched, and Harry made a perfect, soft noise in the back of his throat, and yes. _Yes_ , these kind of dreams were nice. And no matter how often he had them, or how repetitive they became, he loved every second of it. Waking with the knowledge of having them was rough, but it always left him, except of the bitterness of it not being real, with the nice little sigh of contentment before the reality crushed into him again.

So he kissed his man because he could and curled his hand around the nape of Harry’s neck and tasted and tasted until he wanted more and the hand on the tie eased off to reach for the jacket.

“Can we go home now?” Daisy’s voice flooded his consciousness suddenly and Eggsy stopped dead in his tracks, his body almost in a spasm, and suddenly he was staring into Harry’s deep, brown eyes like a deer caught in highlights and _fuck_.

 _This is not a dream_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Oh yeah. There are dreams. And then there are DREAMS. Not quite dreams. Not at all dreams. Oh Eggsy.


	26. Come Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You sure you’re not a dream?” Eggsy’s voice brought him back to the situation at hand and Harry looked back at the blond, still so perfectly close.  
> “Not the last time I checked,” he assured him, and Eggsy looked pitiful – almost like the world ended, or was just now ending, and he was the last living thing that watched it fall. If this wasn’t about kissing, Harry would feel sorry for him. But in this case… no, it definitely hadn’t been pity, that swelling feeling in his chest he was now experiencing.

If Harry wanted to be completely honest, he would have to admit he never got such a brain-freeze like today. Nothing could possibly prepare him for Eggsy to kiss him out of the blue while acting like it was completely normal and they did it on daily basis. Nothing could even prepare him for how intimate and  _right_ it felt, and definitely nothing could prepare him for the shocked expression the boy adopted right after, his eyes wide and scared like just trespassed dangerous ground and was ought to be executed.

“Shite,” the blond breathed out, and he seemed frozen solid on a spot, not able to move in or out of Harry’s vicinity. “Not a dream.”

“Not really,” Harry managed to say, glancing at the little girl that stood in between the doors with sleepy eyes. “Daisy, how about you collect all the drawings you made, so you can bring them home?”

Daisy nodded, not quite paying them much of her attention, thankfully, and shuffled back to Harry’s office, disappearing from the sight. She probably had just woken up a moment before this, her eyes squinty and barely open and Harry considered it the only luck. The position they had with her brother seemed rather suggestive after all, with him being bent all over the boy.

“You sure you’re not a dream?” Eggsy’s voice brought him back to the situation at hand and Harry looked back at the blond, still so perfectly close.

“Not the last time I checked,” he assured him, and Eggsy looked pitiful – almost like the world ended, or was just now ending, and he was the last living thing that watched it fall. If this wasn’t about kissing, Harry would feel sorry for him. But in this case… no, it definitely hadn’t been pity, that swelling feeling in his chest he was now experiencing.  

“Kill me now,” the blond whined and it made Harry smirk, because what else could he do? His brain refused to work properly after this – how Eggsy acted, how he _touched_ him, how leisurely he moved Harry towards him, how his voice dropped into a seductive frequency – everything was a lot to take in.

“That would be a terrible waste,” Harry said for a good measure and Eggsy barked out a laugh and hung down his head.

“Sorry. I… don’t really have an excuse for this,” the blond mumbled barely audible and Harry crouched in front of him to see him better – and to get some leverage. It was definitely doing things to his balance and weakening his legs.

“You thought it was a dream?” he tried in a low voice, hoping Daisy would be busy with her drawings for a little while longer. It would be difficult to explain it to her mom, if the girl decided to spill the beans of what she had seen.

Eggsy nodded silently, holding the armrests of his chair convulsively like he expected to be punished for it, and Harry had an urge to coax him somehow, to offer comfort. But as much as it seemed like Eggsy wanted to do that – to kiss Harry, that is - Harry felt the doubt holding him back like a brick wall anyway.

“And do you mind it’s not?” he asked quietly and Eggsy blinked and looked at him in pure confusion. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he closed it again. He tried it several more times, but always ended up the same, until he apparently gave up and just hid his face in his hands.

“I have them,” Daisy appeared at that point again, holding all the papers in her hand, and immediately looked worried when she noticed her brother. “Eggsy, are you ill?”

“Kinda,” the blond whispered and Harry gently ruffled his hair and stood up. Maybe they just needed to get the facts right somehow, calm down and not try to solve it in front of the kid. Eggsy was, after all, still having alcohol in his bloodstream and needed some nice, long sleep. Demanding an explanation now would prove useless.

“I’ll drive you home,” he said calmly, walking towards the door, and checked his watch. It was already six in the evening, Daisy’s mother had to be worried where the kid was.

“It’s alright,” Eggsy finally spoke up again and stood up as well, even though rather wobbly. “We’ll take the bus-,”

“That wasn’t a question, Eggsy,” Harry shot him a look and the blond shut up and nodded obediently.

Harry wanted to say _good boy_ but held himself back. It wouldn’t help at all, that for sure.

***

Eggsy had been stubbornly holding himself up for the whole ride, his eyes sleepy, but he was stronger than Daisy who fell asleep five minutes after they got in. He kept on the silence though and Harry didn’t really know what to say either, so he didn’t pressure him. It wasn’t awkward, at least Harry didn’t feel it that way, but there was almost a palpable tension flying in the air, and when they arrived to Eggsy’s house and the boy got out with Daisy in his arms, Harry felt it almost cracking around them.

When he was looking back at it whole at home with drink in hand, it all happened so fast he barely caught up with it. Before he could get back from the shock of having Eggsy’s little sister at work, and then also in his arms where she decided to sleep at, he got another one, learning the blond spent the whole night drinking, and with Roxy on top of that.

Of course, putting Roxy into a negative position only because Harry couldn’t really cope with her presence was lame – and even lamer when it shot down his good mood in a second. It was apparent Eggsy noticed, but his immediate defence of her made it even worse.

Maybe the therapist was right after all – maybe he was still ought to go through all those sessions because being interested in somebody apparently made the jealousy spike up like a poisonous ivy. And he was always telling himself there was _nothing_ that should give him the right to feel that emotion like Eggsy belonged to him, but at every point Roxy got mentioned in a relation with the boy, it seized him unmercifully and didn’t want to let go.

He could only expect this emotional rollercoaster getting worse after the kiss that still tingled on his lips. It gave him some sort of satisfaction, especially when, even though thinking he was dreaming, Eggsy called him by _his_ name, and not somebody else’s. There was no point pretending he didn’t know what he was doing – at least in his dream – and judging from his dreamy eyes that almost made Harry’s heart to stop – he wanted to do that.

And yet… Harry just couldn’t let himself dare to do the first step.

Or any step. The risk was just too high and he was sure his therapist would have a field day if he got back there with depression again.          

_Thinking about it is making my head hurt._

***

At first Harry thought somebody died. When he entered his office, Eggsy was standing next to his table in the suit, looking devilishly striking, but grim like on a funeral, and it gave Harry a serious pause. It felt a bit like Deja Vu as well, so at first he looked around for Daisy, but when he didn’t find the girl anywhere, he returned back to the boy and cleared his throat.

“Somebody died?” he asked cautiously, expecting basically anything, and Eggsy shook his head and remained on the spot, like he was afraid to come any closer.

“I’m just… trying to find the best words for this,” the blond started, his tone nervous, and Harry didn’t need to think too much about the topic he meant to open. “I mean, I’ve been training it during the night and in the morning, but it all sounds like shite.”

“Let’s hear it then,” Harry gestured towards him and walked slowly to his table. Eggsy watched him from half-lidded eyes, like he was wary of him, and didn’t spoke up until Harry sat down and focused back at him.

“First of all… thanks. For Daisy,” the blond said finally and Harry noticed how he was nervously pulling at one of the papers lying on Harry’s table to keep his hands somewhat busy. “I was so done I couldn’t… I mean, really. Thanks. She apparently liked ya a lot.”

“Good to hear,” Harry motioned for him to continue and it apparently made the boy even more nervous when Harry paid him full attention, since he took a deep breath and seemed like he was counting to ten before he was able to add anything else.

“So… about that. K-kiss.”

“Yes?” Harry responded simply and if there was a visual interpretation of how Eggsy turned red, there would definitely be steam coming from his ears by now.

“Sorry about that,” the boy tried and rubbed his eyes. “I mean. I know it’s… well, I don’t know, but it was… I know you… uh.”

“Go on, you’re making a brilliant sense so far,” Harry challenged him, trying to stop the smile that was forcing its way on his face, and Eggsy visibly deflated.

“Look, I know I’ve been kinda obvious lately, so this is no surprise for ya, but cut me some slack,” the words rushed out from the blond like there was no border and Harry blinked. “I didn’t plan on k-kissing you like that, I thought-.”

“It was a dream?” the CEO finished it for him calmly and Eggsy waved his hand vaguely.

“So. Sorry. Having somebody like me making a googly eyes on ya is not something you’re curious about,” he stammered out and fidgeted. “I’m not going to do _anything_ , I swear. This was really stupid, really drunk and really sleepy and it won’t happen again, I promise. And I know I keep on promising you something all the time, but really, you gotta trust me on this, I can keep myself in check, just let me keep the job.”

Harry couldn’t help but stare, the words Eggsy pouring out of himself slowly reaching him, first by the sound, then by the content and in the end by the meaning, and his chest was gradually getting warmer and warmer, until he felt like bursting.

 _Googly eyes on ya_. _Keeping himself in check_.

Eggsy was telling him he had a crush on him, but wouldn’t act on it, because he knew Harry wouldn’t welcome the advances?

How unreal was this boy?

“Eggsy,” Harry let out, angling himself so he faced the blond, legs crossed and hands on his knees. “I got something to tell you.”

“To tell me?” Eggsy’s eyes widened and there was insecurity in them. Harry understood that very well. Fear of being refused or scolded was ruling his life five years ago as well, and it crippled him that time terribly.

“Yes,” Harry motioned to him, his tone warm and inviting, remembering how Eggsy’s voice was a pure velvet yesterday, gentle and wanton, and it all just felt right now, like it fitted. “But you have to come closer.”

“I-,” a sudden understanding must have dawned on the boy, since he froze mid-move and then his lips formed a small, almost private smile like the words broke the last seal that kept him back.

“Sneaky bastard.”

But he closed the gap anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> It would be so easy to end the story here. It concluded itself, it sorta ended, right?  
> (I probably won't, but it could be the end :D)


	27. A Coffee Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Spend the night?” he repeated dumbly, staring at his boss like a deer in highlights and Harry held his gaze without a single flinch. “You mean… with you.”  
> “No, the gentleman behind me,” Harry rolled his eyes and it felt like Déjà vu. “Yes, Eggsy. With me.”  
> “In your house,” another stupid question, Eggsy knew, but asked anyway.  
> “No, in the Kingsman, on the super comfortable couch in my office,” the CEO deadpanned.

There had been a mail sitting in his e-mail box for about five days now. At first Eggsy stared at it rather dubiously, scanned it with antivirus about hundreds times and even though the scan always came out clean, he didn’t have the boldness to open it.

The sender was Valentine Corporation. The header said: A job offer. Eggsy shook his head once, then twice and then he minimized it out of his sight. He definitely had lots on his mind lately and didn’t have the capability to care about another matter – especially not about changing jobs while this one had been, at least so far, pretty cool.

Well, especially his boss was pretty cool.

Probably because Eggsy found out Harry fancied him the same way Eggsy did and it changed _everything._ Well, not drastically, of course – this hadn’t been Harry’s style for sure, but suddenly all was… warmer. More intimate. Sort of… gentle.

Eggsy didn’t want to push. And Harry didn’t push either. They spent more time together, that for sure (and Eggsy had to explain why he didn’t go to the financial department so often anymore), went for lunches together, and stayed at work a tad longer than was necessary, just because they knew nobody would bother them after a certain hour.

There were apparent touches, definitely. Harry was _coping a feel_ like it was completely normal and Eggsy started to believe that it was – a touch on his back when Harry was walking next to him, a gentle ruffle of his hair when they were talking, a casual tie adjusting in between words. Everything felt natural, like they were doing it forever, and after some time Eggsy considered it a proper part of his day.

There were many habits he adopted through the work – like coffee bringing every morning and waiting for Harry to smile at him, thank him softly and taste the drink with a content sigh. It was like a ritual, Eggsy thought, and he didn’t even think about it anymore when the coffee shop had been the first stop in the morning. Then he waited for the ritual to be over, recited Harry’s schedule and made adjustments. He waited for his boss to praise him (important part of the day, like it or not, he just couldn’t fish for the praise enough) and did some of his own work while anticipating the time to reach _at least_ 11 so he could emerge again and demand attention.

 _Like a dog_ , he thought. It was probably ridiculous.

But Harry _always_ smiled when he saw him, _always_ bid him to come closer so he could touch him somehow, and usually Eggsy ended up standing behind the man, propping against his shoulders while looking over him at the papers he had been working on. Keeping the contact was important and he realized pretty soon he was getting addicted to it.

The warmth flooding from Harry’s body into his was always calming, hearing his voice so close soothing, and Eggsy’s hands always rested on the man’s shoulders like they belonged there. A slow slide up, a few jabs to get Harry a bit more relaxed from the stiffed position he fell into during the hunching over the papers, and then a soft coaxing here and there.

“So now it’s a massage salon as well?”

Eggsy didn’t know when, but he somehow lost the ability to get startled when somebody barged into the office, no matter the position he found himself in (he admitted that sometimes it probably _would_ make him slightly embarrassed, especially when he almost ended up on Harry’s lap while kissing for the first – well, actually the second – time, but who could blame him). He just glanced up, seeing Merlin standing there with exasperated expression, and smirked.

“Merlin,” Harry’s voice greeted him without an ounce of shame. “I thought you took vacation?”

“I thought you already know I _don’t take vacations_ ,” the HRD shot back and walked towards the table with a single intent – to dump another load of work there. Harry would usually whine about it – as much as the man could whine in his _oh, I’m a sodding gentleman, amirite?_ – but today he just leaned more into Eggsy’s touch and remained there without any negative reaction.

“I was hoping for a miracle to happen,” he commented simply. “We both know you need to turn your brain off for a moment.”

“And we both know you need to turn yours on lately, since your switch is pretty lose-handed,” Merlin uttered and Eggsy didn’t need to think twice about the meaning. The _switch_ had been him, there was no need to deny that, and quite frankly he didn’t really care.

“Bad day, Merlin?” the blond asked the Scottish man leisurely, gently massaging Harry’s shoulders just because he could, and earned a scowl.

“It’s a _mess_ ,” the HRD grumbled. “Valentine Corporation is stirring trouble, King thinks he can squish him when the need arises and I feel like I haven’t slept in _years_.”

“Aw,” Eggsy let out. “Man, just take a holiday. Ya need it like Harry needs somebody who can lose all the fucking knots on his back, he sits like a duck that had been shot.”

“Excuse me?” his boss glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, but it made Merlin chuckle and that was a main thing.

“I’m pretty sure Roxy would go somewhere with ya too,” Eggsy continued without paying Harry attention, earning a sigh for it. “She needs to get out of here for a while.”

“Are you playing a matchmaker now?” Merlin snorted, crossing his arms on his chest like it amused him, and Eggsy gave out a tiny shrug.

“I can try?” he offered and smiled cheekily. “’m not saying you need to, eh? Just get some air, and mainly, get out of here.”

“He has a point,” Harry joined the conversation calmly. “You really need to change of scenery. You’re grumpier than usual.”

“Am I now?”

“Yep,” Eggsy agreed with his boss without missing a beat and his hands slid lower, joining on Harry’s chest comfortably. “It won’t explode without you for few days, ye?”

Merlin watched them quietly for a moment, his face completely unreadable, and then focused at Harry and smiled sweetly.

“I said so,” he told him only, turned around and left the office. Harry almost choked and Eggsy seriously had no fucking idea what it was about.

***

“How about you spend a night?”

Eggsy froze mid move, the food he had on his fork falling back on the plate unflatteringly, and repeated the words Harry just said several times in his head to catch the meaning.

“Spend the night?” he repeated dumbly, staring at his boss like a deer in highlights and Harry held his gaze without a single flinch. “You mean… with you.”

“No, the gentleman behind me,” Harry rolled his eyes and it felt like Déjà vu. “ _Yes_ , Eggsy. _With me_.”

“In your house,” another stupid question, Eggsy knew, but asked anyway.

“No, in the Kingsman, on the super comfortable couch in my office,” the CEO deadpanned, and Eggsy gulped down a lump that suddenly formed in his throat. Was he really asking him to spend the night _alone_ with him?

_Is this a coffee question?_

“Is this a coffee question?” his mouth moved before his brain could stop him and Harry blinked and probably didn’t understand the meaning – which, really, no wonder. Eggsy often didn’t make sense to himself, not to mention to people around.

“I’m a little confused now,” the older man admitted. “What exactly does a coffee question entail, beside… coffee?”

“You now,” the blond gestured, panicking a little. “Like, you ask that after d-date, yeah? Like, do you want coffee, but in reality you’re asking if they want to fuck, and-,”

“Oh god,” Harry rubbed his eyes and then barked out a laugh. The waiter’s pace that that was walking around them stuttered at that and Eggsy cringed. So much for playing the part – not even a fancy suit could help him to shut his mouth.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, rather focusing at his glass, feeling the hotness rising to his cheeks like a flood he couldn’t stop. Why did Harry fancy him again? Well definitely not for his manners or those ideas, that for sure.

He heard his boss chuckling for a little longer, until there was a fleeting touch of his fingers on Eggsy’s hand, like a reassurance, and Eggsy glanced back up in a silent apology, witnessing a warm smile in return.

“Consider it _a coffee question_ then,” Harry’s voice made him freeze again like somebody sprayed him with liquid nitrogen, successfully short-circuiting his brain. “If it makes you say yes.”

“So cunning…” the blond bubbled into his drink, but it didn’t faze Harry at all, since his smile just changed into a smug one and he resumed eating.

“Just think about it,” he said simply to the boy. “You have several hours to go.”

Eggsy slinked back into his chair and wondered if his brain was going to reboot today or not. So far he felt like it self-destructed.

***

“I’m not ready to have sex with him.”

Roxy sputtered her coffee on the table, coughing like she was suffocating, and when Eggsy got up to pat her over her back, she raised her hand to stop him and the spasm slowly subsided, until she was just wheezing quietly and wiping away tears.

“All good?” he asked sheepishly and she glared at him and put down the cup she was stubbornly holding all this time. It was a wonder she didn’t spill the rest of it all over herself in the coughing fit.

“Warn me next time,” she pointed at him with red eyes. “I almost drowned!”

“Sorry,” he apologized with a little bow. “Just need to talk about it with somebody.”

“I’m flattered,” she sighed and whipped out a pocket mirror, checking her make-up like a pro, smudging away the black spots from mascara. “I’m still in shock you two are actually dating, so _having sex_ is beyond my capacity to comprehend.”

“It’s not… we are not…” Eggsy tried and then shook his head. It wasn’t like they _dated_ per se. They were just… nicer. More touchy-feely. But there was nothing that would bind them together like _a couple_. Neither of them proposed anything, not even _let’s date_. “It’s not really dating.”

“It looks like dating,” she opposed and hid the mirror back when she apparently got satisfied with her appearance. There were no traces left of her almost crying the moment before. “Going for lunches together every day. All that _touching_. Have you even noticed what kind of vibe are you giving out? Merlin called you _a married couple_. I think that _is_ dating, especially when it’s coming from him. I think everyone noticed. I hope you’re ready for gossip.”

“It’s work-related lunches,” he protested stubbornly. It wasn’t anything weird, they had lunch before, right? And he was his PA after all, of course he ought to accompany him where he could.

“Keep telling yourself that,” she winked at him mischievously and Eggsy groaned. Well, she _might_ have a point.

“The point is,” he cleared his throat to get more seriousness into the conversation. “That he didn’t say _anything_.”

“But you somehow know he wants to have… _sex_?” The way she hesitated with the word made him snicker, but it didn’t really last long, especially when she looked murderous.

“Well, he asked me to spend the night at his place,” he elaborated for her a little quieter now, and Roxy raised an eyebrow. “Like, you know. _Do you want to have coffee_ question.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean he wants… that.”

“It doesn’t,” he shrugged. “But there is a _possibility_.”

“Okay,” she nodded, her expression slightly confused. “So tell him you don’t want to?”

“I want to,” he immediately reacted; maybe a bit too fast and she stared at him like he grew another head.

”You said you don’t,” she pointed out with a frown.

“That I’m _not ready,_ ” he explained nervously. “Look, it’s stupid, I know, but… It’s _Harry_.”

“I’m aware,” she assured him. “You mean it’s… embarrassing?”

“Kinda?” he fidgeted. “I mean, I never did it before…”

“At all?” her eyes widened and it took Eggsy a second before he realized she meant sex in general.

“With _a guy_ ,” he grumbled and tried to ignore her smirk. “I never even kissed a guy before, he’s sorta… an exception.”

“You struck me as an adventurous type,” she hummed. “Thought you kinda dabbled in everything. You give that vibe.”

“Amazeballs.”

He knew he had been pretty much into lots of stuff at some point, but the truth was it never actually got out of hand like this. The reason _why_ Harry actually made everything change was a mystery, but then again, Eggsy didn’t really complain. The only thing that bothered him was the fact he just didn’t have an idea _how_ exactly he should act right now.

With girls it was easy. Girls expected to be led in the relationship, at least mostly. But Harry? He definitely didn’t look like somebody who was easily swept by somebody else – quite the opposite. Usually he acted dominant and strong, and Eggsy, as far as he felt like an alpha male when it counted, next to Harry he was _maybe_ an omega, ready to take orders without talking back.

Or with talking back, for shite and giggles, but with consequences.

So all in all – a relationship neither of them actually proposed _yet_ was a bit of a question mark for him. Until now, that is. When Harry asked him to spend the night, it was because he apparently wanted him there, and because Eggsy wanted too.

Right?

He almost missed the phone ringing and Roxy picking up in his deep thoughts process, until he heard her answering with an evident amusement in her voice and then nudging the blond.

“Yes, he’s here,” she was saying, smiling at him like Cheshire cat. “I’ll ask him.”

“Huh?” he stared at her in question and she covered the speaker and looked at him in all seriousness.

“Harry is asking if he should wait for you, or if you are coming home later,” she said and Eggsy realized it was already five and they would be leaving if he had been in his office now. He felt his mind panic a little, and the more he freaked out, the more was Roxy grinning.

“Tell him I’ll go home later,” he blurted out. “And will see him tomorrow.”

“You sure?” her face morphed into surprise and he nodded quickly, his heart beating fast.

He liked Harry _a lot_. He wanted Harry _enormously_. But he just wasn’t ready _yet_. He repeated several apologies in his head and watched Roxy conveying his answer and hanging up.

“He sounded disappointed,” she informed him like she just ended a business call and this was the result. “Just so you know.”

“I’ll make it up to him.”

“I’m sure,” she gave him a small smile and Eggsy smiled back.

They probably needed to talk this shite out before either of them assume something the other wouldn’t like.

 _Assuming is bad_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Sorry for the delay, my brain refused to cooperate QQ Anyway! A coffee question xD


	28. Unwise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh my god, ask already,” Harry groaned when Merlin had been sending him a knowing looks over the menu for about five minutes now, eyebrows up and lips curled, and it was inevitable, really.  
> “Have you had sex already?” a question fell and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and sent his companion a deadly glare. It didn’t really work, but at least he showed him how much he didn’t appreciate the fact he had been prying this deep.

It wasn’t like Harry hadn’t expected the outcome. It was apparent Eggsy was going to refuse right the moment Harry proposed it in the restaurant, and quite frankly he was ready for it. There wasn’t anything fully set between them. Nothing adamantly decided or confirmed – just going with the flow. Him and Eggsy were definitely closer now, but neither of them proposed more than that. No naming this _thing_ between them, like it was safer for both, and Harry understood. He considered them… dating, probably. Spending more time together, going out together, and sparing a touch here and there where it was possible. But other than that… Harry wasn’t bold enough to push for more – even a simple thing like kissing.

Why exactly he asked for Eggsy to spend the night was a mystery even to him, but when he let it out of his mouth, no negative feedback from his consciousness arrived. He didn’t even mean anything dirty, he just genuinely considered them spending more time _outside_ of work together beneficial, and frankly to say, desired.

“How about you stop overworking yourself and leave at a normal hour for today?” Harry asked, smirking when he arrived at the Merlin’s office and found the Scottish man alone there. He saw him jump behind his table like he was doing something bad until now (but if portfolios were considered bad, Harry was probably sinning all the time). His office was otherwise empty, even though Harry expected at least Roxy here, going through the schedule with him like every Tuesday.

“Don’t do this to me,” Merlin breathed out, clutching his heart in overdramatic fashion, and settled back into his previous position. “I thought King came to scare me to death.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Harry gave him a small smile and leaned against the door frame. “Thought maybe you’d be amendable to go to dinner with me? We haven’t properly talked for about a month.”

“That’s because your PA is hogging you all the time,” Merlin responded simply and closed his laptop – surprisingly. Harry hadn’t expected him to go, the forever workaholic, but if he would, Harry didn’t at least need to be alone with his thoughts and a bit of a headache.

“Going then?” he tilted his head to the side, watching Merlin standing up and reaching for his coat.

“I’m hungry anyway,” the HRD shrugged, took his keys and checked his workplace for the last time. “The fact you actually have time is rare these days.”

“Not _so_ rare,“ the CEO opposed with a laugh and stepped away for Merlin to exit the office, closing the door behind him quietly.

“Your little lover doesn’t have time for you?” the awaited teasing landed right the moment Harry caught up with him during their walk towards the elevator, and he rolled his eyes.

“Really,” he sighed at the wording Merlin used, earning a bold smile. “He’s staying at work a little longer. Also, not a lover.”

“Not a lover?” Merlin repeated the phrase dubiously. “Goddamn, what else he is then? I thought in a relation like this it is commonly called a lover, even these days.”

“We are not even dating,” Harry opposed simply, entering the cabin. “So I don’t think it’s called that way.”

“Now you’re scaring me,” Merlin followed him inside and pressed the button for the lowest floor while giving him a sideway look full of doubt. “Because I’d vouch for you to be already married every time I see you two together.”

“Fascinating,” Harry commented, but didn’t really felt like explaining details to him. It was… complicated, probably. He could rush it, of course. He could fall into it head first and try to push Eggsy into more, but to what end? Just the fact Eggsy decided to refuse to spend the night spoke volumes – either he wasn’t keen on moving on or he felt like it wasn’t the right time for it yet. Or he simply didn’t want to, although it wouldn’t correspond with his normal behaviour, so Harry decided not to assume anything.

It was apparent Merlin thought his own version anyway, but didn’t say anything else on the topic.

***

“Oh my god, ask already,” Harry groaned when Merlin had been sending him a knowing looks over the menu for about five minutes now, eyebrows up and lips curled, and it was inevitable, really.

“Have you had sex already?” a question fell and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and sent his companion a deadly glare. It didn’t really work, but at least he showed him how much he didn’t appreciate the fact he had been prying this deep.

“Just out of curiosity,” the HRD continued, absentmindedly picking at the edges of the paper of his menu, definitely not even paying attention to all the food presented there. “Since he’s such a bunny-,”

“A bunny?”

“Young,” the Scottish man gestured vaguely. “And I know you’re terribly hard to please.”

“Oh pray tell _how_ do you know I’m hard to please?” Harry frowned and put his own menu down. His headache was getting worse, he felt like all he could consume included only hot tea and a pill.

“Because you are,” Merlin shrugged simply. “In everything. I don’t see a single indication of you being easy in bed.”

“I’m not having this conversation with you,” Harry decided firmly and was glad when a waiter stopped at their table and asked for their orders – it shut Merlin up for a while.

“I take it that you haven’t slept with him yet then,” the HRD renewed his questionnaire right the moment the waiter disappeared between tables, and a wicked smile stretched his lips. “Looking forward to it?”

“Haven’t you been _against_ that relationship before?” the CEO stared at him coldly. “Like telling me it will end badly and that you think I should get rid of him, because it may happen?”

“And I was right,” the bald man grinned and propped his elbows against the desk, so he could menacingly join his hands there. “But also a bit wrong. He proved himself and I was genuinely pleased with the way how he handled the Board’s meeting. And the communication with your office got easier now, I’d even say _fluid_ , so I was wrong and you were right. And then… I was right too. You _did_ fall for him.”

“Congratulations,” Harry uttered and reached for his glass with water. His throat was parched for some reason, like he couldn’t quench the thirst enough. “And _yes_. I did. It’s pretty difficult not to when you have him around for the most of the day.”

“Is it?” Merlin propped his chin against his palm, watching Harry curiously. “What’s so irresistible about that cheeky brat?”

“Maybe the fact he _is_ a cheeky brat,” Harry mumbled, wondering what exactly had been the main catalyst in all this. Except of the obvious fact Eggsy was an attractive boy and no one could say otherwise – especially when he was wearing a suit – it wasn’t at all the main thing that made Harry fall so hard for him. There was _something_ about the blond, maybe not really possible to name. An aura maybe, or how he acted around people he liked, the little gestures and shy smiles, the loyalty towards them. How he could coo at his little sister, how brave he acted where others couldn’t, how honest he was when it mattered.

“I’m still confused though,” Merlin interrupted his thoughts with a sigh. “You’re telling me you fell for him. He always watches you like you’re the only person in the room. But you’re _not_ dating?”

Harry tapped his fingers against the desk, searching for the words. He found himself at loss and it wasn’t very pleasant, when he didn’t know himself.

“I’m not sure if it’s wise,” he said after a moment, carefully and a little surprised by himself. He never thought of it that way – especially when he interacted with the boy. They both were… inclined, maybe, towards each other. But no pushing, no trying to take it further, not even kissing, even though it was really, really nice when they did before. It was like… knowing, but not breaching the subject, and Harry thought he was holding back because Eggsy had been reluctant.

But the sudden thought of his own restraint suddenly made sense. It could go downhill pretty fast and it could easily trigger his mood swings and shabby control as well. He definitely didn’t want Eggsy to witness him in the same state he had been three years ago, or two years ago on that matter – a nervous wreck that snapped at everyone and could barely contain himself.

Not to mention he could shatter the fragile balance they finally found with his insistence. And he knew he was going to be _very_ insistent when he’d allow himself to possess the boy fully. He would expect a lot in return, and he could never be sure if Eggsy would be willing to give it to him.

“I’m very sure it’s _not_ wise,” Merlin agreed with him matter-of-factly, bringing him back from the inner monologue. “I can give you a list why it’s not. For one… he’s your subordinate. You know how people talk, it can get nasty around the Kingsman. Second – he _is_ your subordinate, if you two broke up, working together would be hell. Third… he’s so damn young, Harry.”

“Yes,” the CEO nodded quietly. “I know he’s young.”

“Sorry I gotta be so blunt but if he’s just fooling around or is smitten with your presence _now_ , do you think it can last at least a year? Or, you know… can you actually picture your future with him? Because as nasty as I’ll sound right now, I _can’t_ ,” Merlin pointed out and his face grew serious all of sudden. It was a little unnerving. “Does he feel the same way you do? Do you even know?”

“I thought my session with psychologist is next week,” Harry mumbled and rubbed his eyes tiredly. His body felt heavier and heavier by each passing minute. “Since when did you become one as well?”

“I’m your _friend_ ,” the HRD said almost too gently. “I know you have been through nasty stuff. I just don’t want him to make it worse.”

“You being overly nice is suspicious,” Harry gave him a fake suspicious look. “But thank you for your concern.”

He knew Merlin for so many years that just discarding his opinion would be the worst thing he could do. Not to mention he was _right_. As much as he didn’t want to hear it, he knew what he was talking about, and it was somewhat sweet of him to care so much, even after all those years of them cat fighting out of sport.

“Just think it through carefully,” Merlin told him. “I think we are both a bit too old to act on our feelings, right? And as much as I can see you _do_ like him, there is still time to break it off somehow. Or not get _too_ involved.“

Harry smiled at him tightly, his stomach churning and head hurting, and was glad the food came and he could pretend he got interested in it, even though he felt like throwing up.

***

His house seemed cold and emptier than usual. Only clock’s ticking greeted him when he entered, and an unnatural chill that run down his spine. The conversation he had with Merlin was still ringing in his head a bit too loudly, a bitter taste in his mouth seemed like an aftermath, and although his body wanted to curl in a bed and rest, his mind reeled and forced him to repeat all the doubtful theories like a broken record.

Eggsy was young. Harry was twice his age – hell, more than twice – and twice his experience, with different opinions, different views and expectations. He _wanted_ , but he was afraid to take it. How did Eggsy even feel? He did foreshadow that he was making _a googly eyes_ and it sounded like he was interested, but no real words fell, no assuring, no proposing for the solution. They ended up at the dead point.

Was he selfish for having the need to keep the boy to himself? To stop him from finding a better, more suitable partner closer with age and interests?

 _There is still time_ , Merlin said. _Still time to break it off without any hard feelings._

Maybe there really was. Maybe it was something Eggsy was trying to tell him with today refusal and stagnation over the days without attempting anything else than his regular schedule. Maybe Harry was just a bit too hopeful.

 _Maybe I should just sleep_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> I'm sorry for another delay ;_;  
> So, I made it longer because I've wanted to see them date, eh? Yeaaah... (sorry)


	29. Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He’s not at work,” he elaborated. “You know anything I don’t?”  
> “No?” she replied. “Did you try to call him?”  
> “No, my IQ is not high enough to consider the modern technology to be reliable,” he snarled and almost heard her rolling her eyes.

Eggsy checked his watch and gnawed on his lower lip for about tenth time in five minutes. The time showed a bit after nine and the chair in Harry’s office had been mockingly empty. Eggsy paced the room twenty times, propped against the table fifteen times, picked up the ringing phone six times with an apology of Harry’s absence and promise of his presence as soon as possible, and couldn’t stop the panic swelling in his throat.

Harry didn’t come to work. He didn’t pick his phone. And there was no scheduled meeting so early in the morning either. The worst scenarios had been passing through Eggsy’s skull like a bullet since the clock showed a bit past eight and his boss didn’t arrive.

“Morton speaking,” Roxy’s voice flooded the line when Eggsy nervously dialled her number via Harry’ office phone, and it was a relief that at least she was present. He couldn’t get Merlin on the line either and that started to smell like an alien invasion.

“Hey, you know anything about Harry?” he went straight to the core of the problem, mentally apologizing to her for being so blunt.

“Like in general or…?” she responded rather confused and Eggsy couldn’t stop the groan.

“He’s not at work,” he elaborated. “You know anything I don’t?”

“No?” she replied. “Did you try to call him?”

“No, my IQ is not high enough to consider the modern technology to be reliable,” he snarled and almost heard her rolling her eyes. He didn’t mean to take it out on her, but this situation was making him freak out, especially when he couldn’t get hold of the man after that stupid _oh, I’m working late, I’ll see you tomorrow_ excuse. It was lodging in his stomach since yesterday, he could barely sleep how hard he was thinking about it, wondering how Harry even interpreted it. He _could_ consider it as a refusal and that was making Eggsy a little scared, because _hell no_ , it wasn’t a refusal at all and the possibility of Harry giving up on him kept him awake until 4 AM. So he was cranky, slept for about 2 hours and now Harry decided to fuck him up even more by disappearing from the Earth surface.

“I don’t know anything about him not coming to work,” she said with a sigh, stopping his thoughts like a guillotine

“And Merlin? I can’t get a hold of him either,” the blond pressed more and heard Roxy tapping something on her keyboard.

“He’s on a meeting, that’s why,” she explained languidly, like she was on a business. “He’ll be available in about an hour.”

“Another hour,” Eggsy groaned and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “For fuck’s sake, what if something happened?”

“Nothing happened,” she assured him in a steely voice. “Stop freaking out. Maybe he just overslept.”

“He’s not picking up his phone,” he gritted his teeth. “It would wake him up.”

“He doesn’t have it near him,” she tried to coax him one more time, her voice more insistent now. “Eggsy, calm down.”

“Can you get a hold of Merlin for a minute? Just ask him if he doesn’t know what’s up, please,” he ignored her tries to bully him into a false calmness and Roxy let out another sigh. “Or tell me in which office he is right now, I’ll stop by.”

“He wouldn’t be very happy if you did,” she reminded him sternly. “He’s on the fifth floor, but-,”

“Thanks!” he hung up before she could add anything else and grabbed his keys. Fuck that Merlin would glare at him and wish for his death, if he knew something, he had to spill the beans.

***

Merlin _did_ glare at him, but left the meeting room for a minute to tell him with exasperation that he wasn’t Harry’s nanny to know about his every move, and that he was fine yesterday evening when he was leaving the building.

“What’s _fine_?” Eggsy pushed, trying to hold his voice in a considerably normal tone. His patience was running thin and Merlin’s apparent displeasure of being interrupted during the geezer’s meeting only annoyed him further.

“Like not wailing or trying to be suicidal that you didn’t have time for him,” the Scottish man uttered and Eggsy almost choked. “If you fancied yourself that much.”

“Geez, Merlin-,”

“I tell you, he was fine yesterday. Maybe he just overslept,” Merlin waved his hand and his expression softened a little. Eggsy tried not to scoff at the idea of the mighty Harry Hart oversleeping, but then again his sense of time was always a bit askew, and punctuality a swear word. “Calm down, he’s a grown up man, he wouldn’t throw tantrums or anything. Go check up on him if you have the need; just take the phone with you, if any emergency happened. Few hours without both of you shouldn’t make the Kingsman explode.”

“You sure I can?” Eggsy’s eyes shone in desperate hope and Merlin gave out a tiny shrug.

“I don’t see why not. It’s going to happen soon enough anyway, since there is the business trip for both of you I need you to fill-,”

“Tell me details later!” Eggsy was already on the move, waving Merlin off. The Scottish man stared after him like Eggsy grew another head until he apparently gave up, rolled his eyes and disappeared back in the office, muttering something about cheeky bastards under his breath.

Eggsy didn’t really care about anything else, he bolted out of the building like shot out of cannon, poshly taking a cab because running there would take too long, and his heart was beating like a drum. He couldn’t possibly think of any reason why Harry would skip work without telling anyone – if not Eggsy, in case he was angry, then at least Merlin or Roxy who could do something about it. But nobody knew shite and Eggsy was frantic from the insecurity. He pictured several crazy outcomes – Harry passed out on the floor, Harry as a mess in his bed next to another naked person, Harry telling him to get out to have a bit of peace and quiet, Harry…

Eggsy bit his lip to stop _thinking_ and for the first time in his life he was unhappy for how short was the cab drive. It felt like a blink of an eye when they were standing in front of Harry’s house and Eggsy was handing the guy his money and then kicking himself out on the street. His heartbeat almost deafened him the closer to the door he got and when he was reaching for the doorbell, it hammered against his ribcage almost painfully. It must have been an invisible power that made him to press the button in the end, since it seemed like he lost all his strength in one go.

The boring tone resonated the building and then it died out in silence again, leaving Eggsy in tense expectation for several seconds.

No reaction.

He tried one more time, longer, but even when he waited for a whole minute, Harry didn’t open. He held his breath for a moment to calm down – _maybe he’s not at home, maybe he had some business to take care of, maybe he just needed a day off –_ and glanced around to spot the hiding place Harry told him about a week ago where he kept his spare key (this information had been random and basically told just out of conversational flow – “K _eeping spare keys outside the flat? Are you raving mad?” “I find it convenient. Who would search for a key in a cleft next to the window?”)_. It took him some digging, but then he really found the spare key hidden there, just as Harry said, and a strange warmth of actually knowing something this private flooded through him.

He entered the house like a burglar – quiet and careful, and only silence greeted him back, filled just by the clock ticking and stagnant air.

“Harry?” he tried and started going through the house – stopping at the kitchen, then the living room and the study – the whole lower floor had been empty. He ran the stairs up and immediately aimed at the door to Harry’s bedroom – his hands shaking, a dull feeling in his stomach of what he could find there – or who – was making him sick. As much as he knew he couldn’t claim the man anyhow, because hey, they seriously didn’t establish anything since the kiss in the office, the image of Harry being with somebody else was making him so fucking _mad_.

He opened the door, peeking inside hesitantly, and immediately spotted the unmoving form of his boss lying there, curled in covers and tangled in sheets, and his heart almost stopped for a moment. He entered too hastily, his eyes raking over the bed and then let out almost inaudible sigh of relief when he found the man alone in there.

“Harry?” he called his name one more time and stepped close enough to check his state. He looked rather flushed and Eggsy didn’t even think when he touched the man’s forehead for the fever, immediately noticing he was fucking burning.

“Fuck,” he breathed out, his fingers raking through Harry’s wild curls like he wanted to comfort him somehow, while shaking almost too much with all the horrid thoughts he had about the state of his boss. It took him about a minute before he manned up and let the common sense kick him, so he could run back to the kitchen and start rummaging through the cabinets there, searching for pills and tea and something that could help.

He spent for about twenty minutes just with getting things he considered worthy to make Harry feel better – and especially for getting his fever down – and then he finally could get back to the bedroom. He found his boss in the same curled up position and breathing heavily, and the painful pang in his chest was almost the same as when he knew Daisy was sick and he didn’t know what to do.

Since when he started caring about this guy so much? It was a mystery.

“Hey,” he sat next to him carefully and gently touched his shoulder to shake him. “Harry, wake up.”

There was a soft exhale, then a hum, and Harry apparently stirred from the slumber, since he fidgeted slightly.

“Harry,” Eggsy repeated his name a little more insistently. “Please, wake up. You’re burning like a fucking sun.”

Harry’s eyes finally opened, even though he more squinted than actually looked around, and it took him a moment before he focused at Eggsy.

“Hi there,” the blond smiled, glad he could at least wake him up to this degree. “I brought you-whoa!”

The movement was so fast and sudden he could barely comprehend what was going on until he was lying on top of his boss, seized in a crushing hug. Harry hummed again and then apparently dozed off once more, clutching the boy like a teddy bear.

“Harry-,” Eggsy squirmed around, but the grip only grew stronger and Eggsy found himself to be unable to move away no matter how he tried. “God fucking dammit.”

He remained in the position for several more minutes, huffing and puffing, and when was apparent Harry fell asleep for sure, he tried to move at least enough to align them a bit more comfortably than when he was sprawled sideways over his boss like a carpet. The grip was still strong but allowed him to slide next to the man with a little effort and then stay there, fully clothed and warming up super fast.

Harry was like a fucking furnace. He was giving out so much heat Eggsy didn’t even need a blanket to feel warm, and it was alarming, but at every attempt the boy did to get away the grip grew strong again to stop him from escaping.

“Harry,” he fumed from under the steely hold. “Take the pill at least, you grabby fucker.”

A slight shift and a hum, and Eggsy got pulled closer.

“Oh man,” he groaned and wondered how much would Harry complain about the crumpled suit Eggsy definitely had right now. “Fine. But once you wake up, we are _so_ going to date so you can’t pull shite like this on me ever again.“

He could swear he heard Harry sigh in contentment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Harry The Cuddler. Dun dun duuuuun.


	30. Tempting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Anyway,” Eggsy spoke up again and reached for a cup he filled with tea. “I came here when you didn’t arrive to the work. Found you feverish and shite. Wanted to wake you up to take a pill and you pulled me down and hugged me like a teddy bear.”  
> “I did what?”  
> “And refused to let me go,” Eggsy continued, but he was already smirking when he was handing Harry the cup. “It was kinda cute, really. Like a lil kid. Daisy is doing that with her favourite plushie.”

Harry felt like somebody kept on ringing an anvil in his head – a loud, screeching noise that made his head hurt like hell, paralyzed his body and refused to let the reality through, keeping him in a haze of sleep or half-sleep or imagining things that weren’t there (including his psychologist telling him not to forget to come to their next session, Merlin asking him for the spare key to the office and Eggsy shaking him awake to drink tea or eat food or just generally calling him names, which really sounded like something he would do).

He stirred only grudgingly, opening his eyes to realize the room had been bathing in shades and repressed light fought around the edges of the heavy curtains. The air was heavy and kind of stuffy – or his nose was, he couldn’t tell – and so very warm.

He huffed and tried to stretch his stiff muscles to get some relief, but a heavy weight against his side stopped him. He blinked and glanced there, immediately spotting blond hair and an unmistakable presence of his assistant lying next to him, curled up like a kitten that was searching for heat. One of his arms was slinked around Harry’s waist like a claim, but otherwise the boy was quiet as a mouse, breathing softly.

Harry stared for a moment, unable to tell if it was another dream or an actual situation, and then Eggsy moved and his hold strengthened a bit.

 _Not a dream then_.

“Eggsy?” he tried quietly, fighting with himself to at least lift his arm enough so he could touch the boy’s shoulder to wake him up. He must have still been a little feverish, since he never felt this weak before without an inner cause of his body boycotting him.

The blond hummed softly and snuggled closer until Harry shook him again. He watched the boy blink in confusion at first, perfectly plastered on the CEO’s side like it was completely normal (and hell, Harry wouldn’t mind at all if it was), and then stiffened a yawn.

“Back in the land of the living?” a cheeky remark surprised Harry – he expected a wholesomely different reaction. This was almost too… familiar.

“Barely,” he answered anyway and tried to sit up, just to find out his body refused to cooperate and he had to remain defeated in a lying position with his assistant grinning at him from the place next to him.

“Great, it was a little unrewarding to take care of you while you were so out of it,” Eggsy commented and probably out of spite sat up and stretched. Harry decided not to glare, even though he really wanted to.

“You still seem to be kinda burning though,” the boy continued and slunk out of the bed. He had a very comfortable looking clothes, like was expecting to sleep here, and Harry couldn’t help but stare at him, his eyes raking from the material to how it nicely fitted his figure. How did he even get into those clothes and into Harry’s bed without stammering apologies or turning red like a tomato was a mystery.

He watched him until the blond disappeared in the hallway, leaving Harry alone in his bedroom, and then let out a long sigh.

He had dinner with Merlin. He already felt rather ill in the late afternoon, and the evening made it worse. He arrived home and crashed into his bed, just to get up soon after and throw up. Then he barely remembered the rest after he fall asleep again – only the heat and maybe some voices, weird dreams and some pleasant ones, a haze of actually taking a pill and drinking water and falling asleep again.

“I wouldn’t say you’re a cuddly type,” Eggsy’s voice interrupted him suddenly when the blond got back with a tray. Harry watched him setting it down on the night table and then climbing back to the bed where he sat at Harry’s legs. He brought a kettle with tea, judging from the smell, and apparently also food that was making Harry’s stomach rumble, but also jump unpleasantly at the mere thought of eating it. At least it made him finally sat up, at least a little, probably to get as far from the food as he could.

“A cuddly type?” he repeated incredulously, his throat a little raspy. He swallowed heavily and Eggsy crawled closer, like he was checking him.

“Ye, a cuddly type,” the boy mumbled and his hand touched Harry’s forehead with a frown. “Well, the fever seems to be lower at least.”

He sat back and Harry could tell that the _cuddly type_ reference was true, since he had the urge to drag the boy closer again. How did they end up there before in the first place though? Had Eggsy just decided to snuggle like a worried puppy?

“Anyway,” Eggsy spoke up again and reached for a cup he filled with tea. “I came here when you didn’t arrive to the work. Found you feverish and shite. Wanted to wake you up to take a pill and you pulled me down and hugged me like a teddy bear.”

“I did what?”

“And refused to let me go,” Eggsy continued, but he was already smirking when he was handing Harry the cup. “It was kinda cute, really. Like a lil kid. Daisy is doing that with her favourite plushie.”

“Charming,” Harry mumbled and took the cup grudgingly.

“You rumpled my suit too,” another jab, but softer now. “And scared me shitless when you didn’t even pick up your phone.”

Harry stopped mid move, looking at the boy whose face was now not smiling at all, but looking worried and a little unhappy, and Harry had to admit he was so out of it he didn’t even know where his phone ended up. When he thought of it from Eggsy’s point of view, he would probably call the Ministry or police or someone to help him find his PA.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized quietly.

“You should be. I had to work double, take care of _your_ agenda as well as mine _and_ nurse you back to health. Not to mention playing your body pillow,” Eggsy’s face lit up again with teasing and Harry wondered how much of it was actually true. “But Merlin told me _good job_ today, so I guess I haven’t messed up that badly. Yet.”

“I’m pretty sure you haven’t,” the CEO nodded and sipped the warm liquid, noticing the rich taste of herbs. Probably for the cold, he assumed. “I must admit it feels like I’ve been sleeping forever.”

“Well, you’ve been out cold for two days,” Eggsy shrugged like it was no big deal and Harry almost dropped the cup to his lap.

“Two days?!” he repeated in shock. “Nonsense, I wouldn’t…”

“Oh yeah,” the blond smiled cheekily at him again, like he won some sort of bet – and knowing him _and_ Merlin, he probably did. “Even though it’s not funny that you crashed like this, you made us all worried sick, seeing you all worked up about it is worth it.”

“Two days.”

“This is actually the third one,” Eggsy pointed out, hitting another nail into Harry’s coffin of sanity. “But since you got better, it’s fine. I mean, you’ve been awake and stuff, but it didn’t really seem like you were aware of much around ya.”

“I don’t really remember you’d been here at all,” Harry mumbled, feeling a little stupid for it now. If Eggsy had been actually nursing him for three days, he should have at least remembered. If… those _eat that damn soup!_ talks hadn’t been true.

“Rude,” the blond said, but a chuckle betrayed his fake offence. “Not even remembering how you kept on insisting I sleep with you? I feel cheated.”

Harry almost choked on the tea and it made Eggsy laugh so hard he almost fell off the bed.

***

“You cooked?” Harry blinked in confusion, staring into the kitchen where the table had been filled with food. Eggsy was standing at the cupboard, his sweatpants hanging dangerously low on his hips while he was searching for something, and his shirt was riding up at the same time, revealing flat stomach and a tempting treasure trail. Harry was glad he managed to look up again just in time when Eggsy glanced at him without much of an interest and then looked back to the cupboard. No wonder, Harry’s pitiful form in his red bathing robe hadn’t been the same show he was just now getting from the boy. It took Harry about five minutes before he managed to get downstairs and find his assistant, so he considered it a big success, but not something he would proudly share. He felt like thousand years old grandfather, when everything hurt, his skin felt too sensitive for touching and even his hair felt like it had little broken bones in it.

“I’m supposed to nurse you back to health,” Eggsy reminded him matter-of-factly, getting Harry back to the question he asked. “Not to poison you and kill you. It’s a take-out.”

“You know you don’t need to do all this,” the older man pointed at the table, but at least finally felt like he could eat something without throwing it back out. He was grateful for Eggsy doing all this, but he seriously didn’t want him to be kept from whatever he could have been doing instead. Fun things, family things, not bothering with his sick boss.

“And who else would be doing that?” the blond turned to him sharply and there was a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I’m your assistant, for one. And for two, I fucking care about you, so if you’re going to pull something like that again, I’m determined to _know_ about it _before_ it’s too late.”

Harry blinked, the words mingling in his brain with a weird echo, and his silence was probably a bad answer Eggsy didn’t want, since he closed the cupboard with too much strength and crossed his arms on his chest.

“Look,” he started and Harry cringed. Those talks _always_ meant bad business, and he couldn’t think of the worst outcome fast enough.

_You’re pitiful, so somebody has to take care of your sorry arse._

_It’s my job as your assistant to do this kind of thing._

_You being unreliable is a liability, so I have to put you on a leash._

“About that offer to spend the night,” fell the first sentence and that made Harry took a step back, even though he didn’t want to. It felt a bit like running, not wanting to hear it, _the refusal,_ even though it was inevitable. He should have been ready for it.

“I’m sorry I hadn’t go,” the blond interrupted his thoughts with a sigh. “If it makes you feel better, I kept on thinking about it the whole night and barely slept. Thought I’d ask you the next day. But since you haven’t showed up… I thought you had been angry about it.”

“No,” Harry managed to say, his throat dry. He kept on thinking about it? “I hadn’t been angry.”

He was probably… disappointed. Selfishly expecting something that would never come. Lame and hopeful.

“Cool,” Eggsy commented, but he didn’t seem relieved at all with all the fidgeting. “But… I mean. Sorry, I’ve freaked out a bit, thought I’m not ready for… it.”

“It?”

“IT,” the boy motioned vaguely and Harry titled his head, not catching the reason. It? Like the next step? Relationship? Sleep? …Sex? Oh.

“Sex?” he offered after a moment when it dawned on him and Eggsy rubbed his eyes, apparently to hide his embarrassment, and it made Harry a little relieved after all.

“You thought I’ve wanted you to spend the night so we could-,”

“Fuck.”

“Oh Eggsy,” Harry had to take a deep breath so his heart would calm down, and he wanted to laugh and be shocked at the same time. Such boldness – he never had that. But now _the_ _coffee question_ finally made sense.  He even shamelessly agreed it could be taken as that notion; not giving it much of a thought at lunch, no wonder Eggsy thought it was his objective. “No, that really hadn’t been my intention when I offered it.”

“Oh,” Eggsy piped, his eyes dropping to the floor like it was overly interesting all of sudden. “At all?”

“Don’t tempt me,” the CEO warned him because Eggsy _didn’t know_. He wasn’t aware of what Harry thought of doing to him, and it was dirty and not safe for anyone to know. Not when there still had been a barrier between them Harry didn’t know if could be crossed.

“Am I tempting you?” the boy didn’t listen – of course, he never listened, it was his nature to break the rules and fragile borders, and for once Harry was grateful for being sick and not having much strength left to show him what tempting him could do.

“Because here I was thinking of a speech about how we should start to date, _finally_ , and how difficult it would be to persuade you, but if this is the case, I can do some tempting.”

Harry stared at him in a silent shock, the words washing over him over and over, and was he _for real?_ Dating? Up for it?

“Or not,” a hasty remark came and Eggsy’s form sagged a bit, as if in shame. “If I misjudged, I mean… sorry. I’ve never been with a guy, it’s… new and I can’t… sorry.”

“No,” Harry croaked out. He wasn’t a teenager anymore; he shouldn’t have been this bad with expressing what he wanted or how he felt. Those problems were an issue three years ago, but now… he _knew_ what he craved.

“You haven’t misjudged at all,” he got himself talking, needing to get it out of his chest. “I haven’t been sure, you’ve never… I was too afraid to make a first step I suppose, without having a proof of you wanting it. And since you said no before, I thought I rushed it.”

“Well, maybe telling me you just wanted to cuddle would be better, but eh,” the blond responded, but he heard the nervousness in his voice and it felt right, like neither of them was able to feel that sure yet. “But you’ve already showed me anyway.”

“About that, I’m sorry-,”

“Sorry?” Eggsy finally smiled again, and it was soft and gentle, and probably also a little embarrassed. “I thought about snuggling with you from the first time I’ve spend the night in here.”

“Oh?”

“My dirty secret,” the boy waved his hand to busy himself somehow, at least it looked that way, all twitchy like he wanted to reach out. “You’re just always so _warm_ , it’s… sorry, it’s weird, forget it.”

Harry shook his head and took several steps forward, bringing them both closer together, and reached for Eggsy’s hand. It was smaller than his, smooth and trembling a little, but responded immediately and intertwined their fingers together.

“If _this_ is your dirty secret, I’m not sure how are you going to deal with _mine_ ,” Harry dropped his voice low and saw how Eggsy’s pupils blew up into a complete darkness, swallowing the entire colour.

God bless he was sick, this boy was dangerous to his fragile sanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Guess they are getting ready for it :D Moving on! (Harry, get better soon xoxo)


	31. Aware

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This one?” he caressed it and Eggsy shivered, the touch immediately heating him up, almost embarrassingly fast. He forced himself to calm down and nodded, but Harry’s touch remained stubbornly at the spot, running over the old wound like he was trying to erase it.   
> “It’s from the Marines,” he explained in a low voice, attempting to filter how gentle Harry was while touching him. It wasn’t something he was overly used to, not this easily. “My mates thought it was fun to rile me up while we had the crawling exercise under the barbed wire. It tore my uniform and dug to my hip. I got an earful for it from the drill sergeant and it stung like shite in the sea.”

For what was worth, Eggsy meant to present this whole thing differently. Gentler, probably. But the moment Harry woke up and seemed surprised he saw Eggsy there, something revolted in him and he just dived head first. He had enough tip toing around the guy, so he acted because he could and because Harry was so damn vulnerable and open that it gave him a reason why the honesty could be replied with the same amount of sincerity.

And it was.

It also almost drowned Eggsy in a deep shite as well though when Harry admitted he had _fantasies_ about the boy and they weren’t very… innocent. It short-circuited him for a moment, and it was probably for the best when Harry decided to eat rather than deal with Eggsy’s broken brain. It was unrebootable for a bit too long anyway.

The last few days were hectic in every kind of way – at work he had to do his job _and_ Harry’s, while Merlin confidently sat him down at Harry’s chair and told him to _do stuff_. It freaked him out, especially when Hesketh stopped by with his pleasantries and told him King wanted to see him on Monday. But he made it, and after work he tried to get Harry to eat the damn soup and drink that bloody tea and take those fucking pills while the man was responding only vaguely, mostly slept and tried to drag Eggsy to his bed at every attempt of the blond getting too close. It was endearing, kind of, but also really, really bothersome after a moment, when the fever didn’t go down, and Harry refused to cooperate.

Knowing now he didn’t really payed too much of his attention (or zero) to anyone moving around him made Eggsy regret he didn’t play along a bit more to Harry’s tries to touch him where Eggsy wouldn’t expect him to. That one time when the older man basically spooned him and started mouthing the back of his neck made Eggsy almost whine, since _you wouldn’t attack a sleeping person, right_? No matter the sleeping person was actually attacking _you_.

But it was fine, Eggsy got _sort of_ used to it, because most of the time Harry really just cuddled him like a teddy bear, and warmed him up like a furnace. But it was also a reason why was Eggsy now so nervous, when the life presented him with another challenge – Saturday came up to close and suddenly he was at the point where Harry was stepping up the stairs, turning to him and asking him if he was staying the night.

With Harry being fully aware of everything that was going on around him.

“Ye,” Eggsy said before his thoughts caught up with his mouth. He was ready for it. “Of course I am.”

His boss didn’t say anything, but his smile said it all.

***

“This is so bizarre.”

“Is it?” Harry asked softly and Eggsy tossed around a bit to face the man properly. He looked terribly comfortable, his eyes warm and lips slightly curled up, and it was seriously a sight for sore eyes. Eggsy couldn’t almost believe this was the same guy he wanted to kick in the bank, that asshat. But then again – _don’t judge book by its cover, right?_

“You don’t think it’s weird?” he mumbled, the closeness familiar and yet so new when Harry was actually paying him his full attention. “I mean, it’s not, probably, I’ve done this with you several times already, but now it’s…”

“Me being aware?” Harry suggested and his big hand caressed Eggsy’s waist without a single hitch. It was the first place he touched the blond when they lied down, without shame or hesitation, and Eggsy thought it was amazing. It was a pleasant, heavy weight that held him down gently and it took him only a second before he reciprocated and dragged his fingers over Harry’s ribs, hidden underneath a shirt, earning a smile for it.

“Ye,” he confirmed it quietly. “You being aware. Not minding.”

“Why would I mind?” Harry inquired and his hand stilled. “I already told you I’m interested.”

“Mhm,” the blond nodded and his eyes raked over the man’s face, stopping at his left temple. “Can I have a question?”

“Sure,” his boss replied easily. His voice was slightly gruff, maybe even sleepy, and it gave him a very sultry tone. Eggsy loved it to bits.

“The scar on your left temple,” he pointed out, watching the man’s face turning carefully blank. “Would you share the story?”

“How curious,” Harry smiled at him and his hand resumed the movement. Eggsy considered it a good sign, like it wasn’t as big faux pas as it could be. He wondered about it from the first time he stole a glimpse of it, and even thought it could have been just a funny story like most of Eggsy’s scars were, it also could have been something really bad and painful. He wasn’t sure if knowing about it would help him to understand Harry better, but he was ready to take the leap.

“You can pick whatever scar on my body and ask about it, in exchange,” Eggsy hastily added and Harry’s eyes widened. “Some are fun to tell about, I swear.”

“Are they,” Harry mumbled and Eggsy froze when Harry’s fingers grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, revealing the boy’s chest. Harry watched him for a moment, like he was searching for any scarred tissue, and then touched the one that was half hidden beneath the waistband of Eggsy’s sweatpants.

“This one?” he caressed it and Eggsy shivered, the touch immediately heating him up, almost embarrassingly fast. He forced himself to calm down and nodded, but Harry’s touch remained stubbornly at the spot, running over the old wound like he was trying to erase it.

“It’s from the Marines,” he explained in a low voice, attempting to filter how gentle Harry was while touching him. It wasn’t something he was overly used to, not this easily. “My mates thought it was fun to rile me up while we had the crawling exercise under the barbed wire. It tore my uniform and dug to my hip. I got an earful for it from the drill sergeant and it stung like shite in the sea.”

“Unpleasant,” Harry mumbled and his hand travelled higher, touching Eggsy along his mid-section, towards his chest. It left a burning trail in its wake and Eggsy wondered if it wasn’t him who had a fever now. His breath hitched before he could stop himself and suddenly Harry toppled him in a one fast move, leaving the blond staring up at the man.

“Whoa there, cowboy,” he laughed breathlessly, his heart beating fast while he was staring into Harry’s dark eyes and his hands immediately shot up to grab Harry’s arms – he wasn’t sure if to support him, or stop him from pulling away. “Still feverish?”

“I might be,” the CEO grumbled and it was like a low, dangerous growl that made the boy shut up and gulp down loudly. Harry was now atop of him, seizing him like he couldn’t decide what exactly he wanted to do with him, and for a little while Eggsy hoped it was going to entail something a bit more physical, even though he was very much aware Harry side-tracked him from answering about the scar, probably on purpose.

_Fair enough. He had a successful tactics anyway._

“How about this one?” there was another touch, completely throwing Eggsy off. He couldn’t see, only feel the man suddenly caressing another patch of scarred skin, this time on Eggsy’s side while staying atop of the boy and staring him down intensely.

“Child’s play,” the blond responded with a deep inhale. “I was about thirteen years old. Did somethin’ Dean didn’t like. Ran away from him, fell and this happened. Got a proper scolding for it from mum. And _serves you right_ from Dean while I was wailing like a complete idiot at the doctor when he was sewing the wound.”

“That’s not a very funny story,” Harry pointed out and his hand moved again, this time lower, back to the waistband where he mapped the skin for another scar.

“Is your story this expensive?” Eggsy raised an eyebrow. “You won’t find any more there by the way. Some are on the back. Some are on the… lower regions.”

“I’m merely curious,” Harry answered simply. “When else I’ll have the chance to map you like this?”

“Anytime you want?” Eggsy shot out immediately, not thinking about it at all – it was an automatic reaction. Harry seemed to be taken back for a second, and it was precious to see him uncovering the possibilities like this. “Since, you know. I’m very much for more _mapping_.”

“Are you now?” Harry tilted his head and Eggsy grinned, his confidence growing. He was _so_ for Harry using his hands more than this, and preferably also lips and, after all, his whole damn body. The way his boss was watching him – how his eyes darkened and raked around Eggsy’s features like he wanted to memorize his every contour – made Eggsy grow bold because Harry was _there_ , close and hungry looking. No matter he was still labelled as _sick_ , it didn’t hold any importance anymore. One of his hands kept on holding Eggsy in his waist, while the other slowly traced up from his chest to his neck, until he touched his cheek – almost too gently like Eggsy had been made of glass. And Eggsy was overwhelmed, because this was it, after all this time, having Harry all to himself, so he tugged at Harry’s collar and pulled him down without another needless words.

The first contact made the boy moan, Harry’s lips were hot and a little dry and absolutely everything Eggsy hoped for – and so much more. The kiss was slow, tentative, as if both of them were only trying the borders. Harry seemed mostly just pecking him, like he wanted to taste, until Eggsy flicked his tongue and Harry inhaled sharply, stopped for a moment, and then _devoured_ him. Eggsy made a surprised noise in the back of his throat, but accommodated immediately, his arms circling Harry’s shoulders and dragged him flat against him.

It wasn’t like he planned for this, but goddamn, Harry was a fucking great kisser. He was thorough, curious and attentive, like he was categorizing every reaction Eggsy had, and it made the boy absolutely delirious. He couldn’t breathe and he didn’t even want to try if it meant to let this amazing man go, and judging from Harry’s roaming hands that kept on trying to feel more skin, he was apparently of the same thought.

“Goddamn, you’re burning,” Eggsy whispered when Harry pulled away a fraction, his breath ragged and eyes glazed. He could feel his skin being almost fiery to touch and in a haze of absolute joy he was very much aware Harry had been pushing a bit too much for his own health state.

“Harry…”

“Just a bit more,” the man mumbled and his lips brushed Eggsy’s neck. “I have you know, letting you go is just…”

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere,” Eggsy assured him and his fingers ran through the wild curls. “All yours, ye?”

A deep inhale and then Harry raised his head and he looked so damn tired Eggsy just wanted to curl next to him and tell him to rest for a bit.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Harry repeated quietly and Eggsy gave him a small smile.

“Nope, you won’t get rid of me this easily,” he nodded and Harry’s gaze fell at the boy’s lips and then glanced back into his eyes.

“Alright,” he whispered after and his body as if lost its strength within that sentence, since he dropped next to the boy like a lead and breathed out in exhaustion. One of his hands were still touching Eggsy’s waist and it was the cutest thing Eggsy had ever seen him doing.

_So perfectly possessive._

“About the scar…” his boss suddenly mumbled, his voice low and gruff. “Got grazed from a bullet.”

“A bullet…?” Eggsy’s breath hitched in a shock and Harry hummed.

“Bad luck,” he said after and closed his eyes, seemingly falling asleep. Eggsy waited for a bit, his mind reeling from the simple glimpse of information, and then Harry sighed and his hold on the boy tightened.

“Was a robbery,” he continued sleepily. “Wrong place at the wrong time. They missed on the run, sort of… still got wounded. It took some time for me to get healthy again.”

“Sorry,” Eggsy snuggled closer, caressing Harry’s arm gently. “I didn’t mean to be nosy.”

“It’s fine,” Harry breathed out, his voice almost inaudible now. “Sorry it was not as funny as some of yours.”

“Ha,” the blond snorted, glad for the little distraction. “Some of mine aren’t funny either. No bullet wound tho. A knife one, yes.”

It made Harry open his eyes again, even though half lidded and tired, and there was worry in them again.

“Sleep, ye?” Eggsy offered a smile and tapped at the man’s biceps. “We will talk about it tomorrow. Exchange some more happy stories.”

“Deal,” Harry whispered and his breath finally evened. It lulled Eggsy to sleep as well, curled next to him like a puppy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> I'm sorry for taking so long, had some problems and had to deal with them before my mind was able to concentrate enough for writing. I swear not being able to write is the worst punishment ever. But, hopefully it's better now, so... here is the next chapter and I'm sorry if it's shattered or boring T^T
> 
> Scars always have a story behind them though, don't they. Anyone has an interesting one to share? (Mine is on my right palm when I was so stupid I haven't seen the ditch while running, so I would face planted if my hand wasn't faster :D It still made a nice scar tho, although now it's barely visible. There are more, but they are boring xD).
> 
> Thank you all for being supportive and super nice, for all your comments and awesome words. I appreciate every single word you tell me and it gives me lots of strenght and motivation. Thank you. You are absolutely amazing.


	32. Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What did you say?” he asked as controlled as he could and Eggsy grinned.  
> “What do you think?” he gave him a cocky smile and took step closer again, bringing their bodies together. “You think I’d pass up a chance to be like this with my rightful boss?”  
> “Your rightful boss?” Harry couldn’t help but laugh a little. It sounded like the boy meant him to think he belonged to Harry, and as funny as it sounded, it also made Harry dangerously inclined to the idea. He always had a possessive streak, he never said otherwise, but the longer he could keep it from the boy, the better. Those things could get really bothersome and he didn’t want Eggsy to see this side of him if he could help it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of M rating in the end.

Harry noticed the long face right the moment Eggsy entered the office – he looked gloomy and also arrived late. The clock showed something past eight and at that time the blond usually sat in his office after his routine of bringing Harry coffee and telling him the plan for the day, but today it was the first time Harry saw him.

“Something happened?” he blinked when Eggsy closed the door behind him and let out a long, suffering sigh. When he only walked towards his table without a word, Harry immediately stood up and automatically reached for him to pull him closer – a strange impulse that hadn’t been there a short time ago, but now it was like he couldn’t help but _touch_. Eggsy went easily, burying his face into Harry’s shirt, and groaned.

“I think I need mind bleach,” he heard him mumbling. “Or something. Seriously.”

“Are you ill?” Harry ran gently his fingers though his hair. There was a high possibility of him catching it over those days he took care of Harry – especially when Harry was so impatient and kissed him like a horny teenager, even though he knew he could get him sick. But at that point it was like he couldn’t stop and let Eggsy to go away, no matter that the boy kept on insisting he was not going anywhere. The severe doubt pestered him anyway, almost painfully so, but for the sake of his young PA he decided not to show it when he could help it, or he would freak him out even more. It was enough of a shock when he didn’t come to work and Eggsy had to take care of him, so another issue about him not being able to be 100 % sure about somebody else didn’t need to be added to the mix.

“I wish I were,” Eggsy huffed and his arms circled Harry’s waist possessively. It was absolutely adorable and Harry only hoped nobody was going to enter the office now – especially Merlin – because he didn’t want to let go.

“Sorry I’m late,” Eggsy said next. “King wanted to see me and it was absolutely horrible.”

“What?” Harry stopped in his sappy thoughts like he saw a red light. “King?”

“Ye,” he felt Eggsy nodding. “He thought I’ve proven myself enough. Asked me to be his assistant, to _step up a little_.”

“He asked you what?” Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. King ought to steal his assistant after the show about him _not being good for this job_? That was an utter _bullshit_! As if Valentine wasn’t enough, now even King stood in the line, for God’s sake.

“I know,” Eggsy sighed and pulled away, his face still rather unhappy. “I mean, it was just an offer, he didn’t seem to want to press it if I didn’t agree on it. Just… it made me angry and what the hell, as if I ever wanted to leave you?”

There was a comforting touch on Harry’s hands, but the information resonated within him like a warning bell. King wanting Eggsy as his personal assistant. King acknowledging the blond’s worth and deciding he wanted him for himself. King being a bastard once more and crossing Harry without his knowledge.

How outrageous was that?

“What did you say?” he asked as controlled as he could and Eggsy grinned.

“What do you think?” he gave him a cocky smile and took step closer again, bringing their bodies together. “You think I’d pass up a chance to be like this with my rightful boss?”

“Your _rightful boss_?” Harry couldn’t help but laugh a little. It sounded like the boy meant him to think he belonged to Harry, and as funny as it sounded, it also made Harry dangerously inclined to the idea. He always had a possessive streak, he never said otherwise, but the longer he could keep it from the boy, the better. Those things could get really bothersome and he didn’t want Eggsy to see this side of him if he could help it.

“Of course, you brought me here,” Eggsy stabbed a finger into his chest. “You’re the boss.”

“Charming,” the older man smiled and grudgingly stepped away. He could barely control his responses lately when he was around the boy; the urge to keep the contact was overwhelming that he had to force himself to distance a little at times. “You better behave then, so I don’t need to put you on a leash.”

“Ha, you’d like that,” Eggsy snorted and followed him stubbornly around the table, resuming the touching right the moment Harry sat down and the boy put his hands on his shoulders from behind. “A collar and a dog tag to mark me, hm?”

“Kinky,” Harry uttered, trying very hard _not to_ imagine Eggsy with it. He seriously didn’t need that mental image to haunt him as well, it was enough that he kept on remembering the scars mapping like a starving idiot.

“Mhmm,” the blond hummed right into his ear, suddenly too close for Harry to keep his cool, especially when a featherlike kiss landed there, making him shiver. “Well, how else am I going to get your full attention when not spouting something shocking?”

“You always have my full attention,” Harry opposed and there was hotness coursing through him, searing like fire. He wondered if Eggsy knew what he was doing to him – if he was set to get him hot and bothered at work like that, like a goal for his personal pleasure.

“Good,” the blond whispered again, this time lower and Harry almost couldn’t stop the groan. This person was going to be a death of him, that for sure.

“Eggsy…” he tried, weakly, feeling there was not much fight in him anymore after those days of keeping the boy in a close proximity – _cuddling_ as Eggsy called it with a big smile – touching all this time, smelling him and sharing the warmth. When he was sleeping alone today, it felt unreasonably cold and hostile, like his bed wasn’t good enough anymore, like he didn’t belong there all alone. But he knew he couldn’t call Eggsy back right the moment he finally left home like a needy whiner, so he lay awake almost the whole night, wondering, remembering, pining hopelessly like a teenager that fell in love for the first time without borders.

Why Eggsy? Why such a young person who could have _anybody_ he would point at? Why would Harry lose his mind over somebody he didn’t know long _enough_ to be sure he knew him? There were so many things that could go wrong with them both – and taking Merlin’s warning to heart Harry had to admit that they seriously could end up in a dead end situation. Taking in Eggsy’s age, Harry was aware young people were more fleeting, they had their life before them and there was no damn reason why would he had to bind himself to Harry, more than twice his amount of years. Was it curiosity from the boy’s side? Was he seriously smitten with Harry for an unexplainable reason he decided to overlook the age difference and dive in anyway? How long was it going to last? What if Harry would give in (and yes, he still thought of resisting before they moved too far to come back without hard feelings) and Eggsy’s interest would drop like a lead? What if he found out about Harry’s numerous issues and it would rightfully turn him off? Because that would be a logical thing to do – to distance himself from somebody who had problems to be properly functional without showing jealousy or possessiveness, right?

Harry always thought he had enough problems by himself and didn’t need another baggage to drag him down, especially when he was younger. With age this opinion stuck to him, but with the little change of knowledge that _he_ would be a baggage for the other person and it would be unfair to throw it at them carelessly.

Was Eggsy aware of it? Did he seriously think through all the possible problems that would come with having a relationship with him? His older, insecure, stubborn of an ass boss? Because Harry didn’t do casual. He didn’t have the capability for short-lived romances, or just sex related friendship. When he fell for someobody, he fell deep and hard – and with that came all the expectations that could make their lives difficult.

He didn’t want to make Eggsy’s life miserable. And he didn’t want to make himself miserable either.

“Stop thinking,” he heard and it cut his line of thoughts like a guillotine, returning him to present. Eggsy’s hands were still resting on his shoulders, a pleasant, heavy weight of them, and his PA still stood behind him.

“You overthink stuff, you make yourself miserable,” the boy said resolutely. “So stop thinking.”

“I’m just trying to protect myself.”

“Protect yourself?” the grip was gone and Harry cringed. He caught him off guard; this shouldn’t have escaped his lips. It sounded terribly selfish and uncovered one of Harry’s many bad habits – cowardice. Fear of responsibility for someone else.

A sharp movement turned his chair around until Harry found himself staring into Eggsy’s burning eyes, like he saw right through him, into his inner core, to all his fears and insecurities, and it was scary.

“You like me?” a simple question came and Harry felt petrified, unable to move.

“Yes,” his mouth managed to reply and he was grateful for it. It wasn’t a lie, it was a simple fact, and he didn’t want to conceal it just because he grew insecure.

“You want me?” another question and Harry gulped down, his mind reeling. Want? Did he know what he was even asking of him? If he _wanted_ him? He almost laughed at the sheer absurdity of the question – wasn’t it obvious? It had to be. Everyone saw it, even Merlin or Roxy. Everyone knew. It was like saying yes to a question if he breathed air.

Of course he wanted him. He wanted him so much it made him embarrassed, he craved to know more, to touch more, to hear him more. What kind of noises he would make if he kissed him again, if he licked his skin, if he filled him completely – those things were occupying his mind like a stone, oppressing his sanity in its sweet, painfully needy way.

“Wow,” Eggsy breathed out, suddenly standing up from the crouched position above him. “Wow, you fucking _do_.”

“Was that even a question?” Harry heard himself growling in a response, not recognizing his voice at all, and Eggsy seemed so damn awed he almost lost it on the spot. There was a growing hunger inside of him, desire that was slowly stripping him from the restraint he tried to maintain, and the more he was looking at the boy who stared back at him in silent wonder, the more he felt the control slipping away.

“Fuck,” Eggsy spitted out, and it was a little angry and maybe even desperate, and suddenly the blond disappeared from his sight and his steps led to the door like there was fire behind his heels. Harry’s body froze over at the very moment until he heard a loud click how the lock closed, and then hasty steps approached him again, until Eggsy was at his chair again, pulling at his tie and straddling him.

“If I’d known that when I was at your fucking place, I wouldn’t leave,” he mumbled while pulling the tie over his head and then shedding his jacket on the floor. “For fuck’s sake, Harry, your expression…”

Harry almost didn’t hear him over the pounding in his head, how his heart was pumping the blood through his body wildly, trying to deafen him. He couldn’t stop himself anymore – there was fire now, consuming him gradually, and it all came from Eggsy’s body, the delicious hotness and sweetness, and he reached out and pulled the blond down, crashing their lips together.

Eggsy made a guttural noise in the back of his throat and pushed more, his fingers ran into Harry’s hair, pulling at it, while his mouth was hot and so, so pliant and wanton. He thought he heard whining and moans, but he seriously wasn’t able to distinguish which one of them made those noises – and quite frankly, he didn’t care. His mind was fully focused at the touches he could land on the boy’s body, the unyielding muscle under the shirt, the perfect weight on his lap where Eggsy sat, the fervour which Eggsy put into the kiss. He barely comprehended he started to pull at the clothes, to fight with buttons until Eggsy suddenly let go and started shedding his shirt as well, revealing the smooth chest inviting Harry to suck on – which he promptly did. Once his mouth latched on the blond’s collarbone, there was a mewling sound from his partner, and it only made Harry more insistent, needing to leave a mark on this body, this person, his _lover_.

“Goddammit, Harry,” Eggsy panted, his hands clutching Harry’s jacket in a death grip. “God-fucking-dammit, I love you so much.”

With that, Harry’s sanity disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Harry What-Is-Control-I-Don't-Have-It and Eggsy Sex-At-Work-Hell-Yes, ladies and gentlemen (please don't kill me).


	33. Skilled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s probably not very safe to do it at work,” the CEO said as if he was more persuading himself than Eggsy.   
> “I’ve locked the door,” the blond opposed and bit Harry’s jaw as if in reprimand. “It’s fine.”  
> “Merlin has keys,” another argument and Eggsy snorted.  
> “Well, that would be awkward,” he admitted, imagining how Merlin would groan and then swear at them for half an hour and a week after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> M-ish rating.

Eggsy rarely lost comprehension about his surroundings – there always had been a little part of him still noticing what was going on around him, no matter what he was doing. It was something like a defensive reflex, he thought, to feel safer after everything he went through when he was younger.

Well, until _now_.

Now there was _nothing_ else than Harry. He didn’t hear other noises, he didn’t see anything else that wasn’t the man under him, whose hands were mapping his body hungrily and whose lips kept on marking him, a mix of pleasure and pain when he bit too hard like he couldn’t control himself. His skin was on fire, his insides burning and he couldn’t stay still, because it wasn’t enough, never enough, he needed more, _closer, deeper_. And Harry wasn’t letting him go as if he couldn’t bring himself to, he kept on holding him firmly and pulling closer, kissing him like he was drowning or Eggsy was the air he needed to breathe to survive, and it was absolutely maddening.

The shirt and jacket were already lying on the ground, along with Harry’s jacket and tie, haphazardly scattered over the floor around them, and Eggsy fought with Harry’s shirt when he wasn’t kissed and could actually see what he was doing. The slow pace was understandable though, since Harry didn’t give him much space for doing anything else than kissing and groaning.

“Will you spend the night with me?” Harry’s voice rasped and Eggsy shuddered, his breath ragged. “Today?”

“Uh-huh,” he managed to breathe out and Harry’s hands curled around his face, stilling him. “Yes, Harry. _Yes._ ”

He watched the man’s lips curling up in a soft, warm smile, and he couldn’t handle the sweetness, the openly showed affection, so he dived in and kissed the expression off. Harry hummed appraisingly and his hands spread over the boy’s naked waist, sending shivers through him.

The pace slowed down, Eggsy noted, like Harry grew content with the promise and decided not to rush it, and Eggsy didn’t know if it was a good thing or not. His body thrummed with expectations and need and a sudden change of touches that turned gentle and more exploring than desperate made him feel at lost somehow.

“Harry,” he whispered, earning a light kiss on his jaw. “Don’t stop now or I’m going to bite you.”

“You’re going to bite me?” the older man repeated with a light, content chuckle and Eggsy growled, since yeah, Harry was now absolutely satisfied and it meant he was going to be all mature again and hold back until they were going to be at his place.

His place. Where nobody was going to interrupt.

His place, where he could do whatever he pleased to Eggsy, because Eggsy was going to let him – he was going to allow him _everything_ he wanted to do and as long as he’d want to.

Harry’s house. Harry’s bed. _The whole damn night._

He couldn’t stop the shudder, his body lighting up at the thought, and heard Harry’s sharp breath when the man had to feel it immediately.

“It’s probably not very safe to do it at work,” the CEO said as if he was more persuading himself than Eggsy.

“I’ve locked the door,” the blond opposed and bit Harry’s jaw as if in reprimand. “It’s fine.”

“Merlin has keys,” another argument and Eggsy snorted.

“Well, that would be awkward,” he admitted, imagining how Merlin would groan and then swear at them for half an hour and a week after that.

“It would,” Harry agreed easily, but didn’t let go. His thumbs started rubbing lazy circles over the boy’s skin and it seriously didn’t help, especially when he kept on watching him with those adoring eyes of his, making Eggsy melt on spot.

“I’m not sure I can hold it until the evening,” Eggsy mewled pitifully and held himself not bucking up only by the power of his sheer will. “Give me at least _something_ , you huge tease.”

Harry rumbled, his grip suddenly stronger and in another second Eggsy found himself sitting up on the edge of Harry’s table, legs spread wide and Harry working on the belt of his trousers with patient, concentrated movements of his hands.

It felt like somebody sucked all the air out of the room when Eggsy was watching this man focused on the sole intent, and his brain turned offline right the moment his boss succeeded and curled up his hand around him, the touch hot and _too much_ Eggsy almost lost it in the second.

“Breathe, Eggsy,” he heard him saying and he wanted to retort it was easy for him to act so smug when he wasn’t the one watching somebody he was into doing such lewd things to him, but he couldn’t get himself talking at all. He took in a shuddering breath, his body weak and at the same time absolutely tense, and Harry’s amused expression _wasn’t helping_.

He yelped when Harry stood up without a single warning and pulled the boy close, catching his lips like it was the only answer that could show him the meaning of life, and Eggsy moaned into his mouth when the man’s hand started to move, drawing embarrassing noises out of him with surprising ease. He scrambled for leverage over Harry’s broad shoulders until he caught up with heaving chest and shivers going through him. Hell, it was so long since he had some, and this was absolutely awesome and so, _so different_ than he was used to. Harry’s hand was big and searing hot, moving smartly and languidly and exactly right for Eggsy to groan and clutch his boss’ shoulders in a death grip, stammering out an absolute nonsense that consisted mostly just from Harry’s name and encouraging phrases and maybe also some swearing, he wasn’t sure. But since Harry chuckled and lazily brushed his lips over Eggsy’s, it wasn’t probably that bad.

It wasn’t overly gentle or light, it was sure and confident, and a little maddening when he couldn’t catch his breath. It took him a bit too long to actually reboot his brain to a point where he craved to give the same pleasure to this man, and he blamed it all on him because he seriously didn’t think Harry would do this so easily. He hoped for more kissing, maybe bit of groping, but this was intimate and such a big jump it took him a while.

Not that he minded. Goddamn, he didn’t mind _at all_. He just _wanted_ and it wasn’t enough, somehow, like his hands were itching to reciprocate.

“Let me-,” he tried, pawing with his free hand at Harry’s belt, but the CEO stopped him with a quiet laugh, squeezing his hand gently and then guiding it back to his shoulder.

“Later,” he whispered to his ear, and it was a low blow, really, since it shot right to Eggsy’s groin and he almost came.

“But-,”

“No time,” Harry cut him off with a nibble to his ear and then dropped back down, onto his chair, and Eggsy probably stopped being coherent completely when an intense warm engulfed him. He had to support himself against Harry’s hunched shoulders so he wouldn’t either fall over, or fall back, and his whole body convulsed wildly under the onslaught of _warm, wet, amazing, more_ that ran through his skull like a bullet.

“Fucking hell,” he breathed out and more _felt_ than heard Harry laughing at him, the soft hum filling his ears and making a mush of his already non-functional brain. His body was weak and at the same time building an electric charge inside of him, threatening to explode the moment it would be too much, and with Harry’s confident moves it was closer by each passing second, almost painfully so. He felt his body tensing and flexing, how it was coming on and off in waves, and Harry didn’t have mercy with him at all. He held him by his hips to stop him from bucking up, and Eggsy was grateful for that, since he was slowly but surely losing control of his movement altogether, the longer Harry was keeping it up.

“Harry-,” he tried, his voice breaking, body shuddering, and the pressure grew until he couldn’t anymore, until it was too much, too good, too strong, and when Harry squeezed his hips tighter, Eggsy gave up. He cried out a little, litany of curses and repetition of Harry’s name like a mantra escaped his lips without any means to stop them, and a white noise washed over him like a tidal wave, leaving him breathless and a little dazed, and very, _very_ satisfied.

“You’re a beast,” he mumbled, his body still in a slight spasm and super sensitive, and Harry laughed low and dirty and hugged his waist.

“But you love me for it,” he heard him rumbling with his face buried in Eggsy’s shirt, and the blond chuckled and ran his fingers through the dark curls with a fond smile.

“I love you for it,” he agreed softly, and it felt natural and _right_.

***

“You’re practically _glowing_!”

“Am I?” Eggsy leered and Roxy made a face over her coffee. “Well, fine, maybe a little.”

“It’s suspicious,” she pointed out rather seriously. “Very, very suspicious. If Merlin sees you, he will know immediately.”

“What a champ,” Eggsy laughed and made himself even more comfortable in one of Roxy’s armchairs. She had a nice, comfy looking office, more in white than any other colour, and at first it seemed rather sterile until he got used to it after several visits. Now he was just careful for not spilling his tea or coffee on the white cushions or she would end him.

“So?” she gave him an expectant look, almost eager. “I can tell without you telling that something happened. _So?_ ”

“So you’re very nosy,” he put her down with a smirk. “But since it’s you…”

Her eyes lit up and she sat a bit closer to hear everything. For a moment he thought she was going to whip up a microphone and a camera.

“Was it good?” she immediately asked and Eggsy snorted. She already thought they did it? What a dirty minded girl.

_Well, it wasn’t for the lack of trying…_

“Yes, it was,” he answered honestly, not seeing a point in lying to her. She could tell anyway. “Pretty awesome and he is…”

“He is…?”

“Skilled,” Eggsy found the right word after a moment, and it made him wonder with _who_ he gained all this experience. Although it was probably the best he didn’t know… for now. Nobody wanted to hear about past loves, right? At least he didn’t.

“Skilled,” she repeated and the excitement fell off her face like a curtain. “That’s all you have to say.”

“What else do you want to know?” he rolled his eyes and the gal made a vague hand gesture.

“Stuff?” she replied. “A good kisser?”

Oh man, his kisses. They were burning and absolutely perfect. Devouring, ravishing, gentle, soft, deep – everything Eggsy wanted. He could spend _hours_ kissing Harry, just kissing and enjoying the attention, because it made him feel _loved_ like nothing else could. Worshipped, tasted, approved of, desired.

“Yes,” he said simply, but his expression probably said it all. He could tell his lips were stretched in that idiotic smile he had when something was nice and cozy and he fell too deep.

“Good in bed?” another question from his colleague and the sole thought of actually seeing Harry full on naked and being able to _touch_ was doing things to him.

“Will know by tonight,” he tried to shrug it off as if it was no big deal, but the giddiness stayed. Roxy gasped like he just told her the secret of the universe and her eyes were full of stars.

“Tonight!” she squealed. “Oh my god. It’s shocking, but wow.”

“Shocking?”

“Well, it’s Hart after all,” she sipped her coffee and made a thoughtful face, like she was searching for the right words to describe Eggsy’s boss. “Like. All proper and gentleman-y. I couldn’t possibly imagine him doing anything… you know. Dirty.”

She wasn’t wrong. Eggsy couldn’t imagine him doing these things either some time ago – and not even _that_ long time. It creeped on him slowly, like a sneaky assassin attacking from shadows. First he thought Harry was actually funny. Then charming. Then gentle, soft looking and maybe even very, very kissable. And then… yeah. His mind just got on with the show before he even realized what was on a menu.

“He’s not doing anything dirty,” he defended his boss with a sigh. “He _is_ all proper and all. While giving a head.”

“Oh my god.”

“That’s why I said he’s skilled,” he pointed out with a dark laugh, seriously enjoying her reddening face. It wasn’t that easy to make Roxy embarrassed, she usually had a smartass comment ready, but when he made it he just couldn’t stop laughing.

“ _How_ am I going to face him now?” she wailed, hiding her face in her hands. “ _Oh my god_.”

It was funny, really, because at first it was also Eggsy’s concern when he was post-coital, hugging Harry’s crouched form back, and his brain was slowly rebooting.

They were dating now, alright. It was pretty clear. But they kissed before – _kissed only_ – and suddenly Harry was between his legs doing lewd things to him, and he sounded so damn smug after that Eggsy just couldn’t find the best approach so he wouldn’t look like an absolute amateur who never got blown.

Cuz he did.

Never this awesomely though. Not that Harry needed to know that, _god fucking dammit_.

So he just held on and when Harry finally moved away, he could tell there was shade of red creeping into his face while watching Harry’s lips curling into a soft, pleased smile.

 _“I want to do that too,”_ was the only thing Eggsy managed to gasp out and Harry tilted his head to the side, clearly amused, and caressed Eggsy’s cheek in a tender gesture.

 _“You can do whatever you want tonight,”_ he told him with a perfectly straight face and Eggsy lost the carefully gathered sanity like a needle in hay.

“Well,” he looked at Roxy with a small smile. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t know how functional I’m going to be tomorrow, so maybe you’ll be too busy laughing at me than think of Harry’s possible ravishing skills in bed.”

“Eggsy!”

“I’m looking forward to it tho,” he grinned at her cheekily and at that point wasn’t even surprised when she kicked him out of her office.

No matter. He had a date tonight anyway. And he was going to enjoy it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad.
> 
> Sorry for the delay, I'm currently in no mood for writing whatsoever. I had this chapter in progress already though, so at least I've finished it :) Sorry for the M-ish thingie (although the next chapter is probably going to have it too).
> 
> Love you all, thank you for all you support and comments, and again sorry for being so late.


	34. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are you smiling for?” he demanded and Harry gave him a short look full of fondness. It worked on the boy like a charm – how somebody could even stay mad at Harry? He was so damn suave.  
> “I’m just… how to say,” Harry hummed, seemingly thinking about a right word. “Happy?”  
> “Happy,” Eggsy repeated, frowning a little. “Of what? That you spent two hours with the Legion of the Dead?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated M.

“Stop fidgeting.”

“Easy for you to say,” Eggsy grumbled. They were going slow and he felt the anticipation growing in him like a balloon, threatening to explode. It was past seven in the evening and Eggsy felt like he wanted to kill somebody.

Right now probably Harry, since it was all his fault they were leaving the Kingsman so late. Well, maybe Merlin’s more, but he wasn’t near, so it all fell on the CEO sitting next to him, driving the car agonizingly slow and even looking like it was all fine and dandy.

Two hours late. Two hours of him dealing with Merlin and who knows who else in the meeting room, while Eggsy had been pacing like an idiot in his office, hypnotizing his watch, then the clock on the wall, then the clock on the computer. Five. Half past five. Six. Half past six. Seven. At that point he really, really wanted to just go to the meeting, drag his lover by his collar while telling the others they are busy being horny and wanting to fuck like rabbits.

Well, he wanted to. Maybe Harry lost the want along with looking at all those gloomy, old faces for two hours.

And now that damn slow driving! Was this a sightseeing trip? It felt like a sightseeing trip. Just the commentary was missing, but Eggsy’s fed up brain made up for it anyway.

“You think so?” Harry chuckled, apparently enjoying Eggsy’s state like it was a movie in a cinema, and had the nerve to actually put a hand on the blond’s knee, squeezing him a little.

“Let me drive,” Eggsy growled and another squeeze came.

“Not a chance.”

“C’mon,” the boy whined. “You drive so damn slow! I’m going to die of blue balls before we even get there!”

Harry almost choked, but that was his own fault. The hand disappeared from his knee and Eggsy crossed his arms on his chest.

“What was even so important that they kept you there for two fucking hours?” he continued when no reply came and Harry wheezed a little. “Was it Merlin’s idea? It sounds like Merlin’s idea.”

“No, it wasn’t,” the older man cleared his throat, but the pace of the drive remained the same. Eggsy gritted his teeth and slid lower in his seat. “We had to deal with the aftermath of Valentine’s issue. Sorry it took so long.”

“Ugh.”

“So impatient,” Harry noted and Eggsy glanced at him grudgingly, just to see him smiling slightly, as if only for himself.

“What are you smiling for?” he demanded and Harry gave him a short look full of fondness. It worked on the boy like a charm – how somebody could even stay mad at Harry? He was so damn suave.

“I’m just… how to say,” Harry hummed, seemingly thinking about a right word. “Happy?”

“Happy,” Eggsy repeated, frowning a little. “Of what? That you spent two hours with the Legion of the Dead?”

The CEO snorted and shook his head.

“I guess… it’s better unvoiced,” he let out a tiny shrug. “It would be embarrassing to say it. But… it’s about you anyway. I’m just glad you’re still here.”

“Cuz you let me wait for two hours.”

“Shush,” the hand returned, this time squeezing his thigh. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“You better,” the boy stuck his tongue out, but the excitement bubbled in him once more. Making it up to him. He just couldn’t _wait._

During the whole day it almost felt like a dream, no proper proof that it really happened. Yes, he told about it to Roxy, and there were also hickeys on his collarbone _and_ the inner side of his thighs, but still. Falling for a guy this easily, Eggsy would never believe it could happen. And for Harry Hart on top of that – almost unreal!

He took in a long breath and then let it out again to calm down. It almost hurt, this knowledge. This hopeful puppy love that captured him unmercifully, put him on a leash of this guy – oh man, all those things that could go bad with them! So many, so terrible, and yet Eggsy flipped all of them off, because he fucking _deserved it_.

He stole one more glance of his companion, raking over his features with a soft sigh of contentment. What kind of face would he do if he knew what was Eggsy thinking of? Well, he would probably smile, or laugh with that fond laughter of his, and then maybe ruffle Eggsy’s hair and kiss his forehead.

Or his lips. That would be really nice.

“What are you thinking about?” Harry’s voice interrupted him suddenly. “You’re flushed.”

“Well certainly not about Chester King,” the blond mumbled, making even himself cringe at that idea.

“I really hope so,” Harry smirked, his eyes returning to the road. “I’d have misjudged you a lot in that case.”

“You and me both,” Eggsy uttered and turned to the side to face his lover. “Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“I think we could have walked and been there even faster than with your driving.”

“Cheeky brat.”

Eggsy grinned and his hand almost automatically reached for Harry’s collar, gently touching it and then hooking up his finger over the tie knot.

“I still can’t do this properly.”

“That’s why you didn’t pay attention,” Harry replied quietly and Eggsy could feel his throat moving, and then gulping down heavily, when his fingers brushed over the naked skin.

Oh yeah, he was into it too.

He pulled a little, easing the knot off, and dragged it all the way down, until it fell freely around Harry’s neck.

“You’re not going to undress me while I’m driving, right?” Harry’s voice sounded like a warning, but it only made Eggsy bolder.

“Maybe,” he whispered, inching a little closer. One pull was enough to get his tie off and he neatly rolled it and then threw it on the back seat. His hand immediately returned to the collar, popping the first button, then the second.

“Eggsy…” another warning.

“Then drive faster,” Eggsy encouraged him and leered. His boss only grumbled, but stubbornly kept the speed at the limit. “Stubborn arse.”

No reply, but he saw how Harry gritted his teeth.

“I don’t know if you even have an idea,” the blond started again, playing with another button. “What you’re doing to me? Playing hard to get, that’s so mean.”

He slowly reached for the opening, his fingers dancing over the skin, nails scraping. He noticed how Harry’s hands held the wheel even more firmly and just knew it was going to cost him once they reach their destination. But seriously, he couldn’t help himself. Especially when he could feel the wild heartbeat Harry suddenly adopted, how it echoed through his whole body.

“Harry,” he repeated his name and the CEO groaned, apparently giving up on keeping the unattached expression, and snatched Eggsy’s hand like an intrusive snake.

“ _You_ ,” he glared at him shortly, his brown eyes dark and consuming, “are playing with fire here, _boy_.”

“Hope I’ll get burned then,” Eggsy cheekily responded and earned a growl. He didn’t get his hand back until they reached Harry’s house several minutes later where he finally got released, while Harry got out of the car like a hurricane. If Eggsy didn’t know the cause, he would probably think he just realized he had left the stove on in the house.

But he had about three seconds to think of that only, since Harry circled the car, opened the door at Eggsy’s side and pulled the boy out like a disobedient child – his movement harsh and probably a little angry.

 _Uh oh_.

Eggsy let himself to be dragged and even though there was something dangerous about it, his lips were stretched in a shit eating grin anyway, his heart beating like a bell.

He managed to drive Harry _mad_. It was _fantastic_.

At first he expected an earful – maybe even about safety – but Harry didn’t say shite when they entered the house. He just shut the doors closed and then pushed the boy against them with a loud thud and kissed him with a snarl.

 _Jackpot_.

There were teeth. He was biting him. Eggsy couldn’t even stop the moaning, his body on fire in a second, and there were _hands_ on his sides, under his jacket, pulling his shirt out of his pants to touch the skin.

“You really thought,” Harry was growling into his lips, a bite, then a kiss, a swirl of a tongue, _hot, so hot, goddammit, he was going to burn to ashes,_ “that doing that will make me smile and nod?”

“I thought,” Eggsy managed to say between kisses, “that’s going to make you drive faster.”

“ _Damn kid_ ,” Harry dragged his teeth over Eggsy’s jaw and then pulled on his jacket, successfully discarding it from his shoulders and onto the ground. “How much self-control do you expect me to have?”

“Hopefully none in this moment,” the blond breathed out with a quiet laugh and pulled at Harry’s jacket as well. “But you like me anyway.”

“I love you all the time,” came a reply and another bite, this time between Eggsy’s neck and a shoulder. It stung, but it also made his legs weak. Or maybe the words did that? He wasn’t sure. He felt lightheaded and eager and this just wasn’t enough.

“Harry,” he whined when his lover managed to get his shirt off as well. “Bed.”

Another kiss that made his head all dazed, too hot and too deep and then Harry was moving away and pulling at his hand, leading him up the stairs without stopping. Eggsy almost stumbled over his own feet how weak his legs became, but the grip his boss had on him was uncompromising and forced him to continue without a single word, only with harsh breathing.

Oh yes, he knew it here, he recognized the door, and when Harry opened the ones he knew very well of being his bedroom, it shot right into his groin, leaving him panting with the realization that it was really happening. Harry wasn’t going to turn around and tell him it was a joke. He wasn’t going to fuck him senseless here just to tell him to fuck off in the morning.

He brought him here because they were lovers, because they were head over heels for each other, because neither of them could bear to stay apart.

This was serious. Harry’s love was serious.

_It’s scary. It’s painful. I love it._

One swift move sent him to the bed where he fell on his back, staring up at Harry with half lidded eyes. He looked so damn messed up. His hair was wild how Eggsy was raking through it before, his eyes almost black, his shirt half open, and the expression so hungry it took all the words Eggsy had prepared away.

And he had lot of them. He wanted to be eloquent, to coax him, to repeat stupid confessions, but none of it worked, none of it was important when he was watching him, seeing _everything_ written on that face.

_Love. Need. Want. Adoration. Hunger. Domination._

He wanted it all.

He silently raised one hand, inviting Harry closer, and it almost burned him to ashes when Harry took it and lowered himself on the boy, his body firm and lithe, unyielding muscles easily felt under the shirt. And Eggsy scrambled to get rid of it like a starving man, pulling and fighting with buttons until it finally slid off and he threw it somewhere behind them.

Harry was watching him the whole time, his eyes mapping his face like he wanted to memorize every curve and contour, and Eggsy was losing breath from the sheer want he saw in him. Never, never before anyone wanted Eggsy this way. Nobody touched him like that. Nobody kissed his lips like it was the only thing that could keep them alive. Nobody ever whispered such sweet nothings to his ear, making him quiver and whine.

He could barely keep up with Harry’s movement, with his nimble fingers pulling the belt off and his pants and underwear, and then curling around him with a firm grip while his lips tasted and searched and mapped the body under him.

Eggsy wasn’t sure what he was saying, he was only aware his mouth moved and there was noise coming from it, but words lost their meaning.

“You’re all mine,” he comprehended when Harry returned to his lips and whispered it to them. “I’ll never let you go.”

“ _Yes_ ,” he managed to say, the only word that made sense to him, the only important one, until he was suddenly moving again with Harry pulling him on his lap, gasping for air and scrambling for support, and y _es, yes, yes!_

There was pain and it was making him feel so alive he begged for more. Harry was insatiable; his kisses were hungry, and he was reaching him deeper with each thrust, and if Eggsy died now, he would die absolutely blessed out.

“You’ll never get rid of me,” he was able to catch himself saying, and Harry pushed him on his back and pulled one of his legs over his shoulder.

“I’m counting on it,” he told him in response and Eggsy lost all the coherence.

***

“You broke me.”

“You asked for it.”

“…good point.”

A chuckle and then a hand pulled him closer, into the blessed warm of Harry’s chest. Eggsy snuggled into it with a content sigh, no matter how sore he felt and how his neck and shoulders stung from all the love bites.

_A beast. That’s what he is. Beast!_

He could feel a soft kiss on the back of his neck and his lips widened in a smile.

“Harry?”

“Yes, Eggsy?” a sleepy rumble that echoed through him like a thundering.

“Can I drive tomorrow?”

“Ugh,” Harry took a deep breath and his hand found Eggsy’s, trading their fingers together on the boy’s chest. “Fine.”

Eggsy grinned and when another kiss landed on his shoulder, he felt himself nodding off like a tired puppy.

Well, why not. He found his home. He was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad!
> 
> Aaaaaaand here we are. Phew. I'm sorry the last few updates were so slow and uncoordinated, asldjfdljfdl, my work was killing me and my mood for writing.  
> But! This is it. This is the end. Woooooo (finally, I know).
> 
> Thank you all for your absolutely awesome comments and support, for reading and being patient, you made me really happy <3 Thank you!  
> Also, if you want any one shots for this thing, since there is lots of things unexplained, feel free to hit me up with it :)
> 
> Thank you all again, you're awesome <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second attempt of a hartwin fic, although this time with an AU setting. I know this fandom doesn't need AUs at all, but for me, as a writer, it always means a slightly bigger and appealing challenge :)  
> I've decided to try the PoV changing, so hopefully it's not too horrible. One chapter should be Eggsy's PoV, another Harry's. Feel free to point stuff out or throw ideas at me! I'm always open to discussion :)  
> A huge thanks to Reckless_Serenade for giving me all those awesome AU ideas! <3


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